Obituary of John Nicol

B I O G R A P H Y NICOL: John Ramage Nicol passed away in the Islay Health Center, Islay, Alberta on Sunday, February 19, 2006 at the age of 78 years. John is survived by all his friends that grew to love him as family. John was predeceased by: his father Jack Nicol on October 12, 1986, his mother Maud Nicol on March 6, 1995; one sister Isabell Erdahl and one brother-in-law Garnet Erdahl. The funeral service for John was conducted from the Kitscoty Arena on Friday, February 24, 2006 at 11:00 A.M. with Reverend Bob Aldrich officiating. A eulogy was given by Terri Phillips. Hymns sung were “Abide With Me,” “All the Way My Saviour Leads Me,” “How Great Thou Art,” and “In The Garden,” accompanied on the organ by Natalka Dreichel. The Kitscoty United Church Choir sang “Beyond The Sunset.” Honorary pallbearers were all his friends in the congregation. Active pallbearers were: Alvin Beek, Raymond Beek, Jim Warren, Jason Phillips, Brian Fischer and Glen Johnston. Interment followed in the Kitscoty Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy of John Nicol Welcome friends and family as we gather today to celebrate and honour the life of John Nicol who left us on February 19, 2006 has he began his journey to a greater place. His life began in a small town of Broderick Saskatchewan, where a baby boy by the name of John Ramge Nicol Jr. was born on April 8, 1927 in a Red Cross Hospital to the proud parents of Maud and John Ritchie Nicol. John grew up on a farm just 14 miles from Hanley, Saskatchewan. Three years later he was blessed with a little sister by the name of Isabel May Lyle Nicol. Mr. Nicol began working on his fathers’ ½ section of rented land at the early age of six. His mornings started at 5:00am and ended at 10:00pm when all the work on the farm was done. John attended a little rural school only minutes from his home until the age of 13. He worked and lived on people’s farms during the summer for a few bucks a month. While making money in the summer, he would put a little away and the rest would go to help his father and mother. When winter came around he moved back home to help his father on the farm. Mr. Nicol said, “the hardest work he ever did was thrashing grain for 12 hours a day for 34 days straight, but he found that riding the horses while they worked up field was the easiest. After being dried out of their farm near Hanley, Mr. Nicol moved with his parents and sister to a mixed farm 41/2 miles south west of Kitscoty in 1947. He talked often of their journey out to the Kitscoty area; he travelled with the horses on the train while his Ma travelled in their car. Unknown to them at that time they had a hitchhiker, a mouse had made a home under the driver’s seat. Mr. Nicol worked hard on the homestead, however; he always found a little time for some fun. Raymond reminisces about Johnny been seen more than once driving the old black Chevy truck in circles on the frozen lake, with a toboggan full of boy scouts and a bonfire nearby. Mr. Nicol spent time at the local community schools playing cards, eating, visiting and did I mention eating. No matter when you would stop by for a visit he would always offer you coffee and dessert, he never made you feel guilty taking the second cookie as he always said, “ take two their small”. This was simply his motto for life- “Life is uncertain- eat dessert first” Mr. Nicol enjoyed nature, and had an appreciation for gardening, a passion he learned from his parents. We really never knew which color he favoured as he always said “ sky blue pink” when asked. We do know that fall was his favourite time of the year because that meant harvest and trips to the mountains. Isabele and her husband Garnet lived in B.C. Every year Mr. Nicol enjoyed trips through the mountains to take Ma and Pa on a holiday to visit Isabel. He enjoyed telling stories how they tented and cooked outdoors. Mr. Nicol enjoyed a good fishing trip with his friends, where they would spend hours fishing and having a good visit, always coming home with a good fishing story. In October 1986, Mr. Nicol moved into town with his parents. As they say, you can always take the boy off the farm but you can never take the farm out of the boy, this held true for Mr. Nicol. He took great pride in his land and would take friends out to the farm so they could admire the homestead. We think it was his way of checking up on Alvin and Raymond. No matter what field they were seeding or combining, Mr. Nicol would stop and visit them, even if it meant driving straight across the perfectly aligned field. Mr. Nicol maintained his garden on the farm for years after retiring to Kitscoty. He was known for growing a great abundance of veggies and yum yums (onions). We know that he intentionally had grown a large amount so he could share his harvest with friends who needed it- whether it was for fall suppers, organizations, or just a real good home cooked meal. He always volunteered to take leftovers from the Fall Dinners to the Interval Home. The church played a vital part in Mr. Nicol’s life. He enjoyed the Sunday Sermons that he so faithfully attended. Living across the street gave no excuse not to attend. He was the church’s watchful eye, and if anyone needed anything, they would go to him whether it was for keys, a place to cook a turkey, or for a few tools. He enjoyed being able to help others do the fixings on the church and often talked about building a new church. He would be very proud of the accomplishments that the church has made and would have attended faithfully if able to. He continued his compassion to help others by supporting friends, groups, and organizations. He collected clothing and other items from the community and would take a van full to be donated to Saddle Lake. He always had room for a passenger who wanted to go to for the scenery- Reverend Bob, Helen, Edna, and Rene just to name a few. This is just the kind of person he was, he would give you the shirt off his back, and the last dime in his pocket. His name has become a legacy for supporting the community, not just for his financial support, more importantly for his sensitive nature. That was the way he was and this showed true in some of the scholarships he offered. The criteria for the scholarships were not always based on the top marks, but to those of good character who worked diligently and would benefit from a little extra help. Mr. Nicol didn’t buy himself very much, as he always said he didn’t need it. But one of his greatest gifts to himself was the purchase of his motor home, which he loved. I think spending a weekend camping with our family made him realize that he needed to expand from the converted Chevy van to something a little bigger. Shortly after the purchase of his new vacation home in June, he set off to the mountains with his very good friend Howard Walton. Between horse, cattle, and fish stories I am surprised that they had time to stop and see the mountains. Mr. Nicol looked forward to every summer when he would head off to Whitney Lake, as this became his second home. He took great pride in helping at the United Church camp while enjoying the scenery in his motor home, just a stone throw away from the shore. He enjoyed hearing the laughter of the children and long visits with Helen and Nancy. If you happen to stop by the camp for a visit the coffee was always on. When it came time for lunch he gave two honks of the horn to let you know dinner was served. When you heard that horn you knew to hurry because dinnertime was dinnertime. Mr. Nicol would take off every Fall he always said that he could go to those mountains every year. Some of his last trips to the mountains were in his motor home with Ann, Rene, and Jim. It was quite the adventure on that he truly loved and talked about all the time. Even in his last days Rene would bring in his portable DVD player and show him videos of mountains and fishing. Although very fragile, he still showed his love for them in his expressions and his ‘ah-uh’s” Mr. Nicol became part of our family in 1990. He would spend hours watching Misty clean his house. Little did he know times spent sitting at his table, one elbow on it, would grow into an ever lasting friendship. He became part of our family, spending time around mom’s campfire, Christmas brunch at Grandma and Grandpa’s Pauls, and every special occasion from then on. I am sure he was overwhelmed with the busyness, the noise level, and as the years passed the young grandchildren, but he never complained. The kids called him Nicol or Mr. Micol and he never corrected them. He always said, “ if that is the worst they are going to call me then that is good”. When Brian and Misty had their daughter Mr. Nicol was the first visitor, he was so proud to be Grandpa number 2. Mr. Nicol at times would call to Tina to let her know he had a special project for her to work on, once she arrived he would let her know what needed to be done. However before she could get started he insisted on making a pot of tea, needless to say no work was done as the afternoon was spent drinking tea and sharing stories. After Mr. Nicol’s heart and stomach conditions he began to slow down a bit. After some talking with him, we helped him pick out a scooter- Reluctantly he would try it for a little while. Well, it never did go back as it meant that he would be able to continue his independence that he so greatly valued. He spent hours doing a farmer fix to his van to invent ramps so his scooter would fit. This only meant that passengers sat at the very back and talked over the scooter. This became Edna’s spot as her and Kallie would join Mr. Nicol and his caregivers on trips- usually to Cold Lake, Elk Point, or whichever way the wind happen to be blowing. He always looked forward to his KFC stops on these excursions- as it was finger licking good. Cheryl would often comment that he was willing to go anywhere, “ as long as we stopped half way for lunch and a coffee”. One of his rituals became attending farmer’s markets in Vermilion and Lloydminster scouting the great deals and lunch menus. He always enjoyed a good bowl of homemade soup with a dollop of ketchup. Along with Edna and Cheryl, Uncle Doug and Aunty Theresa would often join him. Cheryl continued to foster Mr. Nicol’s independence by taking him to places that he loved. Lakeland College was a place that they would visit quite often. He would always stop by to visit Geretta and take her for lunch when she could go. He always spoke highly of her and enjoyed their friendship. When I began working at the college this became part of my lunch dates too! Mr. Nicol never did mind having lunch with a few ladies in his company. As Mr. Nicol’s health deteriorated his independence in his own home became difficult. He always made it certain that he would go to Islay when it became necessary. When you went to go to visit him he would never admit to loving it, but always admitted to them feeding him well. The nurses and staff always went beyond their call of duty to ensure he was at home and felt loved and taken care of. The nurses said to us “ he was a pleasure to take care of”. He would always say “ you’re a good kid’ to them. Even in his last days, when the attendants would turn him, his sense of humour was still vibrant. He admitted to them that turning him and doing the necessary things were reason enough why he did not get married. Mr. Nicol touched the hearts of everyone. His wits and wisdom was spectacular. He would never criticize or judge you. He became a confidant to many as he always said, “ It is between you, me, and the fence post” and because of this he will be sadly missed and forever loved. We wish to thank Rev. Bob Aldrich, Dr. Stewart-Hunter, and the staff at the Islay Health Centre for their exceptional care and support. Thank-you to the UCW for preparing lunch and to UCW choir for singing the Hymns. A special thank-you to Natalka Dreichel for accompanying the choir- everything sounded just beautiful! Thank-you to Terri Phillips for reading the eulogy. Thank-you to Glenn McCaw for his kindness and support. We would like to thank our family and friends for your support, phone calls, visits, cards, flowers and food you brought. It is greatly appreciated. Donations in John’s memory can be made to the Kitscoty United Church or the Kitscoty Community Hall. In Lieu of thank-you cards we will be making donations in Memory of John Nicol to the Kitscoty United Church and the Kitscoty Community Hall. The Family Donations in memory of John may be made to the Kitscoty Community Hall or the Kitscoty Community Church.