Virginia Nichols

Virginia Mae Nichols was born on her family’s farm west of Atlantic on March 31, 1928, (her Dad’s birthday). Her parents were Bert Carr Sr. and Lulu Andersen Carr. She attended Country School Washington #3 graduating from the 8th grade. Then it was time to help on the farm milking cows and raising chickens and pigs. She would go to the field with her three sisters to pick corn by hand while their Dad used a horse drawn wagon. Each evening they would carry in cobs and wood for use in the cook stove and the living room stove. She would also help her Mom with gardening and canning of the fruits and vegetables.

Virginia got her first job at age 17 in Atlantic working as a waitress at Young’s Restaurant, the former Dick and Jane’s. One special Saturday night she met the love of her life, Francis H. Nichols. They were married June 26, 1950, at the Little Brown Church in the Vale. Francis worked for the State Highway Commission and she was a homemaker. They attended the Fletcher Chapel Church as a young family and later Virginia was a member of the Atlantic United Methodist Church. The couple was blessed with three children: Beverly Mae, Wayne Earl and Lawrence Edward. Francis passed away from a heart attack on February 14, 1960. On December first Virginia moved her family to town where she returned to work as a waitress at Bebensee’s Restaurant. Later, she went to work at Glacier Vandervell (Mahle) and remained there over 11 years until retiring in 1993.

Virginia passed away Wednesday, December 27, 2017, at Atlantic Specialty Care in Atlantic, Iowa, at the age of 89.

Preceding Virginia in death were her husband, Francis; her son, Lawrence, on October 29, 1997; and her sisters, Violet Inman, Luella Adams and Louise Morgan.

Her loving family includes daughter, Beverly (David) Jones of Marne, IA, and their children, Robyn Jones and her love, Jon Warren of Omaha, NE, Kristin (Brent) Kopp of St. Louis, MO, Lindsey (Justin) Pretasky of La Crosse, WI, Kyle Jones of Atlantic, IA, and Minden Jones and her love, Trevor Boyer of Anita, IA; her son, Wayne (Deb) Nichols and their children, Nicole (Josh) Dvorak of Atlantic IA, Jessica Nichols and her fiancé Kevin Wieser of Dubuque, IA and Brett (Beth) Nichols of Lewis, IA; her great-grandchildren include Taylor Jones of Omaha, NE, Colin Renshaw of Atlantic, IA, Bailey Roland of Atlantic, IA, Samantha and Ruthie Pretasky of La Crosse, WI, Jack Jones Swinnerton, Gavin Nichols of Lewis, IA, Ella-Lee Nichols of Lewis, IA, Mattie, Lexie and Kamrie Dvorak of Atlantic, IA, and Aydan Wieser of Dubuque, IA; her brother, Bert Carr, Jr. of Atlantic, IA; Gene (Marilyn) Nichols of Fairmont, NE; and many loving nieces and nephews.