Tishomingo Alumni Association, Inc.
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In Remembrance
Obituary


Dennis Earl Nichols (Class of 1950)

 

Dennis Earl Nichols (Class of 1950)
San Antonio, TX
Age 80
January 8, 2014

Memorial Services for Mr.Dennis Nichols, 80, of San Antonio, Texas will held held on Thursday, January 16th, 2014 at the Episcopal Church of Reconciliation in San Antonio. A 2nd service will be held on Sunday, January 19th, 2014 at 1:30 p. m. in the Herb Clark Memorial Chapel in Tishomingo, Oklahoma with Rev. Kenneth McCarthick officiating. Masonic Rites will be provided by the Tishomingo Masonic Lodge #91. A private burial will be held in the Tishomingo Cemetery. Mr. Nichols died peacefully in his sleep on January 8th, 2014.

He was born on July 11th, 1933 in Madill, Oklahoma to Earl Nichols and Clara (Locke) Nichols. When he was a young boy, his parents joined family members working for the WWII effort in California. After the war, they returned to Oklahoma. Dennis graduated from high school in Tishomingo and then attended Murray State College, later joining the ROTC at Oklahoma A&M and graduated as a Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He married Shirley Jean Harbert in 1955. During his military career, Dennis&Shirley moved to several locations in the United States and, in 1959, to Japan. After he left the USAF, Dennis worked for Univac in the emerging computer industry. He lived in Boerne, Texas from 1968-1979 and settled in San Antonio in 1982.

Dennis and Shirley raised their children in Boerne, where he was Scoutmaster of Troop 102 in the 1970's. One of his proudest accomplishments was helping six boys achieve Eagle Scout in 1973. Dennis was a 32nd degree Mason, continuing a family tradition of Freemasonry. He was a lifetime member of Tishomingo Lodge #91 and a member of the Kendall County Lodge #897, where he would have received his 55 year pin in 2014. Dennis was also a member of the Alzafar Shrine. Dennis and Shirley, avid square dancers, belonged to The Boerne Bunch for ten years. He was a talented woodworker and enjoyed making toys for his children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. His rocking horses were infamous within the family. He loved music, dancing and attending grandchildren's sporting events. He and Shirley drove across Texas, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky to see their grandchildren play at various sport venues.

Dennis was preceded in death by Shirley; his parents; a brother, Charles Nichols and his son-in-law, Thomas B. Stanley, Sr. He is survived by his children, Susan (Nichols) Stanley, Lee Nichols and Kathy Nichols; nine grandchildren and their spouses, Laurie Byno, Daniel&Sarah (Rohrer) Nichols, Christopher&Morgan (Applegate) Rankin, William&tiffany (Clemens) Nichols, Trey&Krystal (Theilen) Atwater, David Theilen, Thomas B. Stanley, Jr., Nicholas Theilen, and Dennis N.&Rachel (Corbin) Stanley. Three great-granddaughters, Mackenzie Nichols, Braelyn&Brynley Byno; two great-grandsons,Nathan Nichols&Carter Rankin; his brother, Kenneth Nichols; his foster sister, Adeline (Erwin) Tribble; his sisters&brothers-in-law; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.