Obituary for Wayne Nichols
His given name was Wayne Darrell Nichols, but mostly he was called Honey, Dad, Grandpa, Coach and many other endearing or choice names.
Born in Stuttgart, AR to Lawrence Jonathan “Buster” Nichols and Iona Lillian (Cox) Nichols, he was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings Herbert, Greta “Faye”, LaVonne, Wanda, and Ronald.
Wayne earned a scholarship to play football at Indiana University as one of the “Dickens Boys.” Eventually he earned his MS Degree from the School of HPER, but his studies were interrupted by service in the US Army with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, where he met and married the woman of his dreams, Janet.
Coach’s teaching career spanned 58 years beginning in Griffith, IN, then continuing in Bloomington, IN at University High School, BHS North, BHS South, Fairview and every other elementary school in the MCCSC where he taught health, driver’s education and everyone’s favorite class -- gym! Fairview Elementary students, in particular, delighted in knowing that on their birthday he would do his daily push ups with them sitting on his back or squats with them on his shoulders. Masterful motivator that he was, Coach saw the spark of promise in each person; he coached football, wrestling, track and field, and Science Olympiad.
Coach was always willing to help anyone, anytime and in any way, sacrificing time and resources for the success of others. He dedicated his life, both professionally and personally, to coaching people to succeed in their endeavors. Though he was an accomplished athlete, he did not discriminate by ability or aptitude, but only required that his students and athletes show commitment and determination. He was eager to train in any endeavor of interest to others, whether it was teaching his kids to swim or his grandkids to do cartwheels.
Coach was a man of routine, and thus a regular at various local spots that gradually came to recognize in his patronage the strong sense of loyalty that was his gift. Numerous desserts were named after him, including a bear claw at a local bakery and “Coach’s cheesecake” at the Encore café; more recently, you could often find him enjoying lunch at Buccettos or Red Chair bakery cookies from Inkwell.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Janet (Stephens) Nichols, daughters Maureen Nichols, Rachel Nichols (Meg Wesling), Stephanie Penny Lookenbill (Damien), sons Eric Wayne Nichols (Jane), Ryan Stephens Nichols (Maria), Sam Stephens Nichols (Kelley), 15 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Bell Trace Living and Learning Center for their compassionate, professional care; his team of doctors with special thanks to Dr. Kathleen McTigue. Also, they wish to thank his administrators at BHS South (Jay True and Mark Fletcher). His children recognize that there is no way that Coach would want this published without recognizing the loving and dedicated care Janet gave him, particularly during the final year of his life. Her compassionate perseverance in tending to him, as he became less able to care for himself, was a beautiful tribute to the dedication they had to one another and to the importance of family in their lives.
Visitation is this Friday, January 21st from 4:00p.m. – 8:00p.m. and the funeral will be Saturday, January 22nd at 11:00a.m. Both will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 2411 East Second Street.
Burial will be private.
The Funeral Chapel of Powell Deckard is handling funeral arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the athletic departments at BHS South or BHS North, or their science competition teams, or to the charity of your choice.
If you are unable to attend, please honor Coach Wayne by listening to some of his favorite music (Bob Seger, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Rait, Tina Turner, ZZ Topp or music from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s).
Born in Stuttgart, AR to Lawrence Jonathan “Buster” Nichols and Iona Lillian (Cox) Nichols, he was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings Herbert, Greta “Faye”, LaVonne, Wanda, and Ronald.
Wayne earned a scholarship to play football at Indiana University as one of the “Dickens Boys.” Eventually he earned his MS Degree from the School of HPER, but his studies were interrupted by service in the US Army with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, where he met and married the woman of his dreams, Janet.
Coach’s teaching career spanned 58 years beginning in Griffith, IN, then continuing in Bloomington, IN at University High School, BHS North, BHS South, Fairview and every other elementary school in the MCCSC where he taught health, driver’s education and everyone’s favorite class -- gym! Fairview Elementary students, in particular, delighted in knowing that on their birthday he would do his daily push ups with them sitting on his back or squats with them on his shoulders. Masterful motivator that he was, Coach saw the spark of promise in each person; he coached football, wrestling, track and field, and Science Olympiad.
Coach was always willing to help anyone, anytime and in any way, sacrificing time and resources for the success of others. He dedicated his life, both professionally and personally, to coaching people to succeed in their endeavors. Though he was an accomplished athlete, he did not discriminate by ability or aptitude, but only required that his students and athletes show commitment and determination. He was eager to train in any endeavor of interest to others, whether it was teaching his kids to swim or his grandkids to do cartwheels.
Coach was a man of routine, and thus a regular at various local spots that gradually came to recognize in his patronage the strong sense of loyalty that was his gift. Numerous desserts were named after him, including a bear claw at a local bakery and “Coach’s cheesecake” at the Encore café; more recently, you could often find him enjoying lunch at Buccettos or Red Chair bakery cookies from Inkwell.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Janet (Stephens) Nichols, daughters Maureen Nichols, Rachel Nichols (Meg Wesling), Stephanie Penny Lookenbill (Damien), sons Eric Wayne Nichols (Jane), Ryan Stephens Nichols (Maria), Sam Stephens Nichols (Kelley), 15 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Bell Trace Living and Learning Center for their compassionate, professional care; his team of doctors with special thanks to Dr. Kathleen McTigue. Also, they wish to thank his administrators at BHS South (Jay True and Mark Fletcher). His children recognize that there is no way that Coach would want this published without recognizing the loving and dedicated care Janet gave him, particularly during the final year of his life. Her compassionate perseverance in tending to him, as he became less able to care for himself, was a beautiful tribute to the dedication they had to one another and to the importance of family in their lives.
Visitation is this Friday, January 21st from 4:00p.m. – 8:00p.m. and the funeral will be Saturday, January 22nd at 11:00a.m. Both will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 2411 East Second Street.
Burial will be private.
The Funeral Chapel of Powell Deckard is handling funeral arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the athletic departments at BHS South or BHS North, or their science competition teams, or to the charity of your choice.
If you are unable to attend, please honor Coach Wayne by listening to some of his favorite music (Bob Seger, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Rait, Tina Turner, ZZ Topp or music from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s).