IRS Auditor Nina Kimball, 81, dies on Whidbey Island
The longtime tax official retired in 2003 after a 30-year career that began as a secretary.
By Bianca Shevchenko ·
Nina Marie Kimball died on Whidbey Island, Washington, on Sept. 30, 2026. She was 81. Her partner of 27 years, Arnold Wilcox, had passed away earlier, leaving her to spend her final years in the Pacific Northwest.
Kimball worked for the Internal Revenue Service for three decades. She started as a secretary in Tampa, Florida, in 1967, and rose to the position of full auditor before moving into an administrative role. Her career concluded in 2003 with two farewell parties. She also earned an associate degree after completing 10 years of night school and received the Harvey Gallatin Award.
Born on Oct. 26, 1944, in Ancon, Panama, in the U.S. Canal Zone, Kimball was the daughter of James R. Kimball Jr. and Hazel Marie Hurlston. Her mother clinically died during her birth and was later revived. Kimball graduated from Balboa High School in 1963. That same year, she married Robert Gooding of Bangor, Maine. The couple had one son, Johnny Gooding, and divorced in November 1964.
In the 1980s, Kimball married Frank Cirone of New York City. During that marriage, she obtained a real estate license. The couple traveled on numerous cruises. She later met Wilcox, a resident of Arlington, Vermont. The pair established a routine of spending winters in Florida and summers in Vermont. They traveled extensively through the United States and Canada, visiting remote and adventurous locations.
Kimball lived in four distinct regions during her lifetime: Panama, Florida, Vermont, and Washington. She maintained strong ties to the Catholic faith, having completed confirmation and catechism at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ancon as a child. Her family noted her deep compassion for those in need and her consistent affection for children.
