Mary Ann Mcglone Nichols

Mary Nichols went to her eternal home with God on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.  Following a brief illness and surrounded by her three daughters and their families, she died peacefully in Gainesville, Texas.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, July 15 at 2:00 pm at Geo. J. Carroll and Son Funeral Home, Gainesville, Texas.  No visitation or reception will be held.

Mary was born in Okolona, Arkansas and raised in Prescott, Arkansas.  She moved to Dallas after graduating from high school to attend Business College and after graduating worked as a bookkeeper and secretary for various companies in Dallas.  During this time, she fell in love with a young man, Claude Nichols, whom she met at church and they were married soon after his graduation from Baylor Dental School.  Then the adventure began.

Claude joined the US Air Force and whisked his young bride off to Tokyo, Japan.  Mary gave up secretarial work to be a full-time mom when the first of the couple’s daughters arrived in 1957.  Two more little girls followed during their next assignment in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Mary then shepherded the family through assignments to England, Alabama, Ohio and Florida.  After Claude’s retirement from the Air Force, they moved back to Texas and settled in Gainesville.

During this life with its many moves and changes, Mary and Claude made the church the hometown for their family.  There they associated with people all over the world who shared their values and knew the same stories. Mary cooked for church dinners on three continents, taught Sunday school and Ladies Bible classes.  Beginning in Florida Mary and Claude took the lessons learned in building their strong marriage and hosted many Marriage Encounter weekends, teaching couples the communication skills to strengthen their relationships with one another and with God.  In Gainesville, they ministered to the community through a soup kitchen, VISTO and served with several fine churches.

Mary exemplified God’s love.  She was the warm smile, the tender heart, and the care-taker of all things living.  Whether you were her family, her friend, a stranger, her beloved pets, a stray or wild animal, or even her plants, she always had enough love to go around.  She could truly see God’s hand in all of creation and honored it as such.  She was confident in her place as a child of the King and her faith was evident in all that she did.  Mary delighted in her family and cherished time spent with her girls and their families.  Grandchildren and great-grandchildren spent countless time with “Ma and Pa”.  Mary loved helping to celebrate birthdays, holidays and any special occasion.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Claude Nichols; her son-in-law Harold Spragg, and great-grandson, Cody Champion. She is survived by her three daughters and their spouses, Karen and David Sampson, Laura Spragg, and Claudia and Glen Fink; her seven grandchildren and their spouses, Valorie and Dean Champion, Meghan and Justin Mihalyi, Stephanie and Anthony Rifaat, Sam and Abigail Fink, Abby Fink, John Sampson and Matt and Heather Sampson; and seven great-grandchildren, Dylan Archer, Dawson Archer, Silas Mihalyi, Luke Champion, Logan Champion, Ella Sampson and James Rifaat.