Cheryl Christine Nims

Cheryl Christine Nims, age 61, of Baraboo, passed away on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at UW Hospital in Madison.

Cheryl was born to Jerry and Wanda (Keepers) Nims in Baraboo, WI, on July 2, 1965. She graduated high school there and obtained a bachelor’s degree as well as a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota. She married Scott Carter in December 1992 at the Advent Christian Church in Baraboo. Cheryl was employed as a Social Worker at South High School in Minneapolis, MN, where Scott worked as the Band Director. They were divorced in 2015. She lived in the Minneapolis area until just before her death when she moved back to Baraboo to live with her mother, Wanda.

Among Cheryl’s many talents and interests, Cheryl lived for music, especially singing. She had a beautiful voice and was invited to sing as a cherished soloist at many events and gatherings. In high school and beyond, she was the lead singer in a rock band called Tailspin that played gigs all over southern Wisconsin. She also played tenor saxophone in her high school band and played and composed music for the piano in her free time.

Another of Cheryl’s favorite pastimes was baking. She loved making fudge and learning new techniques for breads and pies. She also learned to love cooking as she was often called upon to host family dinners on holidays and on birthdays. Cheryl’s home was the one where everyone felt warm and welcome.

Cheryl loved the outdoors as well. She loved to canoe on a nearby lake in the summer or go for long walks on it during the freezing winter. She was the star pitcher on her church’s softball team. And when vacation time rolled around, she often chose hiking in the southwest with her sister Camille. She traveled to all sorts of other places as well, usually choosing destinations specifically to visit family and friends such as her sister Heidi in New York, Aunt Pam and Uncle Roy in Florida, sister Camille in Texas, Seattle, Washington DC, and Paris.

Cheryl was a kind, generous, and warm-hearted woman with a beautiful gift for listening. She understood and empathized easily. She had a wonderful sense-of-humor as well and knew just how to keep things light when necessary. Cheryl was smart, an excellent writer, and a very good friend. She was an animal lover with pet cats and an avid video-gamer. Cheryl had her personal challenges and struggles, overcoming many of them with grace and dignity.

Cheryl is survived by her mother, Wanda Nims of Baraboo; sister, Camille (Jim) Lamoureux of Rancho Mirage, CA; brother, Joshua (Yazmeen) Nims of Surprise, AZ; nephews and niece (children of sister, Heidi) Riley, Sylvie, and Devin Cusick of New York, NY, and other relatives and dear friends.

Cheryl was preceded in death by her father, Jerry Nims, and sister, Heidi Cusick.

Memorial Services will be held on October 10, 2026, at New Life Community Advent Christian Church in Baraboo. Specific times will be announced at a later date.