A MEMORIAL SERVICE for Randy will be held at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 29, 2018 at Hill and Son Funeral Home in Appleton City, Missouri.
OFFICIATING at the service will be Terry and Anna Nichols.
VISITATION will precede the service from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
MEMORIAL – The family requests any donations be made to Randy Nichols Family Love Fund, and may be given directly to the family or left at the funeral home the day of the service.
Randy Dale Nichols, 51, departed this life at Ellett Memorial Hospital in Appleton City May 22, 2018. Randy was the 7th child of 11 born to Quentin R. and Betty J. (Green) Nichols. He was born September 10, 1966 in Kansas City, Missouri. The family moved lived in Kansas City and moved to several other towns throughout his life. In 1993 they moved to Osceola where they’d made their home until November of 2017 when they moved to Appleton City. As a youth, Randy and some of his siblings would accompany their mother to work where she was as school custodian and they helped her with her work. He was a loving brother and kind, big hearted man who would give you the shirt off his back if you were in need. As a boy, he tried to be helpful and stopped in a field of corn, picking some ears for his mom to prepare for the family’s meal. He did several odd jobs as a young man, one being work at a vault company. After health problems forced him to quit working, he helped his brother, “Little” Terry as a mechanic when he could. They repaired cars, trucks, lawn mowers and motor cycles, listening to Randy’s music, Credence Clearwater Revival, as they worked. He also helped as Terry crafted mini motorcycles. Randy didn’t like just sitting around. He enjoyed spending time with a special niece, Sarah, and nephew, Bradley, often making things for them to play with. He was especially good at making helping them fix large dirt piles to play on. The family enjoyed going to the Sac River, outside Osceola, where they spent many hours walking in the rocks looking for gold, crystals and arrow heads. Randy was also a collector of Beatles trading cards. He was an avid old movie fan and memorized key lines such as, “Go ahead, make my day” from a Clint Eastwood movie and some from John Wayne movies. He also loved playing the game, Farkle, with his family, often setting a point limit and going past that, playing for hours. Randy was much loved by his family and will also be missed by friends.
Randy was preceded in death by his father, Quinten R. “Nick” Nichols, one brother Perry Neal Nichols and a nephew Bradley Owen Ward. Survivors include his mother, Betty J. Nichols; his 11 remaining siblings: “Big” Terry Lee Nichols, Gary Joe Nichols, Larry Dwayne Nichols, Jerry Allen Nichols, Cynthia Ann Moore, Sandra Kaye Downey, Patricia Louise Nichols, “Little” Terry Lee Nichols and wife Anna, Kimberly Louise Nichols and Ricky Lee Nichols; a special nephew Bradley Wolf Nichols and special niece, Sarah Shawnee Nichols.