,Andrea (Andy) Theresa (Anderson) Nichols was born on February 21, 1958, on a ranch near Gregory, South Dakota, to John Cato Anderson and Alice Lucille (Bailey) Anderson. She was the sixth of seven children. Her parents raised Hereford cattle on a
dry-land cow-calf operation. She was one of the last of her generation to attend a one room schoolhouse through the
eighth grade.
In 1970, her parents sold the ranch and purchased an irrigated farm near Merino, CO, raising corn and hay, continuing the cow-calf operation. She attended the Merino school system, graduating a year early in 1975. She went on to the University of Northern Colorado-Greeley, graduating in 1979.
She worked at various occupations to include a sugar beet factory, building a power plant, and cooking for a hundred-man labor gang on the railroad. While working on the railroad she married and was blessed with a daughter, Charmayne. She divorced soon after and raised her daughter as a single parent.
Andy went on to continue her education, obtaining paralegal credentials, and was employed by the Colorado Department of Corrections. While there she met Gary Nichols. They married in 2006. She worked as a Law Librarian and retired after twenty-five years in 2017. In retirement the couple traveled the U.S. in an RV seeing 27 States in four years.
She enjoyed gardening, cooking, canning, sewing, painting, crafting, hunting, fishing, watching birds, and especially walking her little dog, Jack. She was good at all of these things and enjoyed the company of everyone. Someone once said, “She never knew a stranger”.
She loved her family, and they loved her. She was a wonderful grandma and will be sorely missed.
She is survived by her husband, Gary Nichols of Wetmore, CO;
one daughter, Charmayne(Bryan) Sandoval of Cañon City, CO; one son, Jack(Susan) Nichols of Charleston, SC; two grandsons, Cole and Bryce Sandoval of Cañon City, CO; one sister, Gwyn Laproth of Sioux City, IA; three brothers, John Anderson of Brush, CO; Daniel(Cheryl) Anderson of Fort Collins, CO; Ike Anderson of Thornton, CO, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by both parents and two siblings.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., at the Cañon City Church of Christ, 1718 Franklin Avenue, Cañon City, CO.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to any organization of your choice that fights breast cancer in the name of Andrea Nichols.