Sister Monica Gail Grimes

Sister Monica Gail Grimes, best known as Sister Gail, a giant in our community, a fighter for racial desegregation and equality, immigrant justice, and a co-founding leader of both Hope CommUnity Center and the Farmworker Association of Florida in Apopka, FL, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2026. She was 88 years old.

Born in Philadelphia to Gertrude Seebold and Charles Allan Grimes, Sister Gail grew up in an Irish Catholic family in South Philly; and was proud of it. She loved the Philadelphia Mummers Parade, the oldest continuous folk parade in the US; and up until she was about 86, if you put an umbrella in Sister Gail's hands, she could do the Mummers' Strut with the best of them!

She joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN), right after high school, went on to earn Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in chemistry and taught high school chemistry. Sister Gail was not a "typical" nun. Leading with humor and humility, she could talk strategy one minute and laugh whole-heartedly at someone's joke the next. She lived large; was at once visionary, determined, fearless, committed, courageous, laser- focused, and truly a force of nature. She loved dancing and salty pretzels, and she also enjoyed a good single malt Scotch or Irish whiskey like the proud Irish soul she was!

In 1975, she came to Apopka, FL, one of several Catholic nuns who answered the bishop's call to come serve a growing immigrant Catholic community. Initially envisioned as a temporary assignment, she and three other nuns, Sisters Ann Kendrick, Cathy Gorman and Teresa McElwee wound up living and working together for 50+ years, giving their lives to the struggle for justice in Central Florida and beyond, especially alongside Black, immigrant, and farmworker communities who were (and are still) often pushed to the margins.

In her role fighting segregation and racial injustice in Apopka, she spent decades community organizing, mentoring (and being mentored) by community leaders and building deep mutual relationships. Alongside community members and her Sisters, she played a significant role in the founding of several community organizations that exist to this day including the West Orange Farmworker Health Association, created because in the 70's, people of color in Apopka didn't have access to dignified medical care. What began with 3 employees in an old trailer is now Community Health Centers with13 offices, 600+ employees, serving 65,000 patients yearly. Sister Gail also helped create the Community Trust Federal Credit Union, now Self-Help Federal Credit Union and Homes in Partnership, a self-help home-building collective predating Habitat for Humanity and resulting in thousands of families of modest means contributing "sweat equity" to achieve home ownership, and through it, a small piece of the American dream.

Sister Gail was instrumental in organizing the Black community in South Apopka. She helped found the Concerned Citizens of Apopka, a group of local leaders who advocated for the best interests of their community. The Concerned Citizens of Apopka notched some significant wins including when the group sued the City of Apopka and won to secure a more equitable distribution of public services.

Sister Gail was one of the key architects of the Farmworker Association of Florida and Hope CommUnity Center. She served in administrative capacities at both organizations and was a mentor to younger professionals. Her brilliance in organizational development and financial stewardship is a big part of why these organizations continue today serving Black, immigrant and farmworker communities.

Sister Gail never really "retired." After her 3rd retirement party, it became a bit of a joke. The truth is, she knew the work still needed her, and honestly, she had more to give. It's a fact that to the very end, she never retired from the community she gave her life to. And that is perhaps the essence of her legacy, the idea that we are bound together, that so long as we have life, we have an obligation to care for and fight for the dignity and rights of others. Sister Gail, who carried wisdom, humor, and honesty in equal measure, lived this ideal to her core. Her life is a reminder to us all to do the same.

Sister Gail leaves behind her sister Pat DiCintio (husband Rich), brothers John Grimes (wife Mary), and Charles Grimes (wife Marianne), and many beloved nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, she asks that donations be made to Hope CommUnity Center and/or the Farmworker Association of Florida.

A service to celebrate Sister Gail's life will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Apopka on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 10am.