Josephine Jean Nichols

Josephine Jean Nichols was born on June 7, 1928 in Klamath Falls, Oregon to Joseph Ackley and Virgie Lee.  As a child she moved around a lot until her travels bumped her into James Nichols as a teenager.  The two would hit it off and would be married on April 26, 1944 in Montesano, Washington.  This would start 72 years of marriage until James’s passing in 2016.  It also involved several moves, three children, and finally choosing Silverton, Oregon, to be their permanent residence. Josephine preferred to use her middle name.  Her first job was at Fishes Bakery in Silverton.  When she was in her 40s, she decided to take a cake decorating course and discovered she had a real talent for it.  She would become  a professional cake decorator for the next 25 years with Roth's and Freys, which is where she was working when she retired.  She was so good that she was asked on many occasions to decorate cakes for weddings and other special events of family members and close friends.  Family was important to her.  Jean would go out of her way to always make sure she made time for family and because of that many treasured memories were made.  When not around family she liked to read during the day and watch tv at night.  On June 2, 2019 Jean passed away in Silverton, Oregon surrounded by family.  She was preceded in death by her parents Joseph and Virgie, and siblings Virginia, Charles, David, and Richard, as well as her loving husband of 72 years, James.  She is survived by her children, sons Terry Nichols and Ronald Nichols, and daughter Susan Nichols-Hardy; sister, Maxine; brother, Larry, 7 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.