Services for John Leland Nelms Sr., of Jackson, are 11 a.m.Thursday, July 13, at First United Methodist Church in Brookhavenwith burial in Easthaven Cemetery. Brookhaven Funeral Home is incharge of arrangements.

Visitation is Thursday from 9 until 11 a.m. at the church.

Mr. Nelms, 59, died July 10, 2006, in Jackson. He was born inMonroe, La., on Sept. 24, 1946, to Charles M. Nelms Sr. andMargaret Kathleen Freeman Nelms. He lived in Brookhaven most of hislife.

He graduated from Brookhaven High School in 1964 and from theUniversity of Mississippi in 1967, where he was a member of SigmaAlpha Epsilon fraternity. He was co-owner of Charlie Nelms Ford andNelms Oil Co. in Brookhaven until he retired and moved to Jackson,where he was involved in real estate. He was a member of BrookhavenFirst United Methodist Church.

He was active in the Brookhaven community in many capacities,serving as president of Brookhaven Jaycees; co-director of theMarch of Dimes Drive in 1972 and 1973; coordinator of the Punt,Pass and Kick competition and president of the Lincoln-Lawrence OleMiss Alumni Club. In 1974, he was selected by the MississippiEconomic Council as one of the 50 Outstanding Young Business andProfessional Leaders of Mississippi. He served on the board ofdirectors of the United Givers Fund 1974-77; the Lincoln CountyCancer Society in 1975 and the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce from1977-79. He was a member of the National Amoco Jobbers AdvisoryCouncil.

His parents preceded him in death.

Survivors are his children, Kimberly Kathleen Ellis and husbandJeffrey Ellis, of Madison, and Johnny Leland Nelms Jr., and wifeKathi Nelms, of Gulfport; his grandchildren, Ryan M. Ellis and MissBailey E. Ellis, of Madison, Alexander E. Nelms, Patrick B. Nelmsand Miss Rebecca E. Nelms, of Gulfport; his brother, Charles M.Nelms Jr., of Brookhaven; his niece, Hillary Nelms, of Brookhaven;his aunt, Nona Bobo, of Natchitoches, La.; his cousins, Trey Boboand wife Cathy Bobo, of Abita Springs, La., and Lisa Bobo, ofHaughton, La; his half brother, Robert Hilburn, of California; andhis special friend, JoLynn Michael, of Jackson.

Pallbearers are Neal McCoy, Trey Bobo, Richard Case, Bob Allen,Ernie Clark and Tommy Lindley.

Memorials may be made to the building fund for the First UnitedMethodist Church of Brookhaven.