Jauquina Nichols

Jauquina M. Nichols, 83, of Lovell passed away peacefully in her sleep April 28, 2020, at her home.

She was born in Lovell on Jan. 24, 1937, the daughter of the late Felipe and Josefa Montanez. She was the oldest of sixteen children.

Jauquina went to school until second grade when she had to leave to help her parents with her siblings, so her parents were able to work.

Later in life, she married Richard Gene Nichols of Bird City, Kan. They had three daughters, Anita Vera Hernandez, Renea Eckert and Oralia Montanez Silva.

During her life she traveled state to state to work on ranches and eventually returned to Lovell, where she settled down with her family.

Juaquina had a very big heart. She raised numerous family members. Everyone was always welcomed with open arms into her home. She also showed love for everyone and taught them how to treat one another by her example in life. She showed her strong faith in God to everyone she met by her kind words and generosity. She always seemed to find a way to make sure that no one went hungry and made the most of what she had with everyone.

She loved to cook and socialize with a cup of coffee and something to eat. She enjoyed many hobbies such as card games, puzzles, bingo and going to the casino.

Jauquina was preceded in death by her parents; daughter Renea Eckert; one grandchild; and siblings Thomas, Pedro, Nick, Jesse, Baby Barbra, Romona, Barbra and Mary.

She is survived by her daughters Anita Vera Hernandez and Oralia Montanez Silva; grandchildren Mellisa Velasquez, Jacqueline Torres, Martin V. Nichols, Yvette De La Cruz, Toney Croft, Monique Carter, Israel Silva, Lorenzo Silva and Armando Silva Jr.; 18 great-grandchildren; and siblings Philip Montanez, Steven Montanez, Jose Montanez, Josie Whiting, Jaunita Zertuche, Carol Romero and Martina Rivera.

Her family has many fond memories of her to share:

Lorenzo Silva – On holidays she would always do her best to get everyone together and make tamales.

Jacqueline Torres – Grandma always had a smile on her face, and we could sit down and drink coffee and eat cookies while we talked for hours. When I had to go I would tell her I loved her, and she would always reply, “I love you more.”

Toney Croft – Eating homemade tortillas with salt and butter fresh off of the stove.

Anita Vera Hernandez – Loved the way she was giving and forgiving and kind and would open the doors to everyone. She never passed judgement and loved us unconditionally.

Oralia Montanez Silva – The way she would tell stories from the old days while we were drinking coffee. Also when she made cabbage soup and pineapple cake for your birthday and her homemade meals like chicken noodle soup and homemade cinnamon rolls.

Mellisa Velasquez – How her face always lit up when she saw us grandkids, no matter how old we were. She was the love of our lives, and we were the love of hers.

Monique Carter – As long as my grandma lived in her home it was never empty. She was always taking care of someone or raising one of us.

Martin V. Nichols – She fed everyone who was there no matter what her circumstances were. She would welcome people in, setting the best example of how people should treat each other and always was there to lend an ear or give a hug. She had a big, kind heart.

Yvette De La Cruz – Watching novellas with my vieja, and Grama taught me Spanish, and she would call me nueva.

Israel Silva – When Grama would wake us up with the spray bottle for school.

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