Nancy Linnan ~ Class of 1966
Arrived ~ 2/27/1947
Departed ~ 5/26/2025
Nancy Grace Linnan Obituary
Nancy Grace Linnan, age 77, took a permanent recess from the courtroom of life on May 26, 2025.
She exited with impeccable timing on Memorial Day. Sadly, there were no closing arguments due to Alzheimer’s.
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, British West Indies, Nancy was a Marine Corps brat who grew up everywhere but with roots nowhere until she found her true home in Tallahassee, Florida. There she spent the last fifty years of her amazing life. She was a graduate of Dickinson College (BA, with honors, 1970), FSU College of Law (JD, with honors, 1974) and a public defender in Margaritaville (Key West, 1975-77) before coming to Tallahassee as the Assistant General Counsel, Florida Department of Administration, (1977), thereafter Assistant General Counsel to Governor Askew (1978), then Assistant Deputy Attorney General and Chief, Division of Cabinet Affairs for the Florida Attorney General (1979-83), followed by Assistant Secretary, Florida Department of Community Affairs (1983-85) before entering private practice with Carlton Fields in 1985 where, after serving on its Board of Directors as a member first and later as Chair, she retired 37 years later in 2022 as the Tallahassee office’s managing partner.
A fiercely intelligent attorney, Nancy spent decades using her quick wit and sharper tongue to argue cases, close deals, mediate disputes and occasionally win debates that had absolutely nothing to do with the law. She was the kind of lawyer you wanted on your side — and definitely not on the opposing one. Judges respected her. Colleagues admired her. And clients? Well, they either loved her or learned never to make that mistake again.
Married to her long-suffering and deeply devoted husband, Jim York, for thirty-seven years, the two shared a bond built on love, rescuing dogs, cats, birds and occasionally people, and the understanding that she was always going to win any argument. Although she had no children of her own, Nancy had more dependents than most—each with fur, wagging tails, and the unshakeable belief that the couch belonged to them. Their home was a haven for rescue dogs, at least four at a time, often more. It was said because of her conviction that they listened and behaved better than most of her clients.
Nancy was as prolific in accumulating friends as rescue dogs. She had a sprawling network of friends, many of whom were professional colleagues who valued her friendship as much as her professional mentoring. She cherished every single one. Nancy was a wonderful aunt and functional grandmother to both her nephews, Johannes and Christopher Linnan. She was predeceased by her husband, Jim York, in 2022 and leaves behind two younger brothers, Michael and David Linnan, a sister-in-law, Huan Linnan, a rolodex of friends so thick it could stop a bullet, and two dogs, Charlie and Walker. They are now romping on a beach after being adopted by her favorite vet tech, who moved to California and took Nancy’s surviving four-footed children with her.
Rest well, Nancy. You were truly one of a kind — a brilliant mind, a warm heart, a loyal friend, and the best sister we could have asked for.
A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held on October 3rd 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the Jubilee Cottage at the Goodwood Plantation, 1600 Miccosukee Road. For those unable to attend, please consider donating to your local animal shelter or simply being kind to someone going through a difficult moment in their life — Nancy would’ve appreciated that.
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