Helen Nichols turns 100, passes down lifelong lessons

On Saturday, a group of family and friends gathered to celebrate
Helen Nichols’ 100th birthday. They came from as far away as
Nashville, Tennessee and Glasgow, Scotland to honor her.
For her part, humble Helen couldn’t see what all the fuss was
about.
“It doesn’t feel much different. I never realized I was getting
to be 100,” Nichols said.
When asked if living for a century granted her special wisdom,
she replied, “I’ve learned a lot. But I wouldn’t even dare to give
anybody advice.”
She did, however, consent to share what she considered essential
ingredients for a long life: “Family and friends, walking a lot,
and eating a lot,” she said.
Helen Nichols was born and raised on a farm in Illinois. She
later moved to Indiana, where she met and married her husband. In
the late 1930s, before they started their family, the couple
temporarily moved out to California. She worked as a housekeeper;
he, as a gardener.
In 1945, when the war ended, the entire Nichols clan caravanned
out to Southern California from Indiana. Nichols and her husband
eventually divorced, and she took on sole child rearing
responsibilities.
Her four children agreed that Helen was a wonderful mother, and
a strong role model for her children, six grandchildren, and nine
great-grandchildren.
Said son Rick Nichols, “I’m so grateful for her principles and
sense of honor. We grew up doing what’s right.”
Daughter Sally Nichols put it this way: “She’s always lived her
life with grace and dignity and honor and persistence. She did what
she had to do every day to take care of her family. She believed in
cooking lots of vegetables, which she got from growing up on the
farm, and lots of exercise.”
Her oldest son, Jon Nichols, age 72, added, “My mother’s
probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. She’s very honest,
very unpretentious. I’ve always been able to talk to my mother
about anything, and that’s very comforting.”
Along with principles and character, Helen also gifted her
children with a lifelong love of books and stories. “She always
read to us as children, so I share her love of books,” Rick
said.
At age 100, Helen is still a passionate reader. She’s currently
immersed in Gore Vidal’s autobiography. She’s also an avid solver
of crossword puzzles, and keeps a daily personal journal. She has
written in a journal every day for the last 30 years.
“She’d always tell us dream stories, too,” son Bill Nichols,
recalled. “She’d make them up. It’s something I did with my
children, and now it’s something my children are starting to do
with their children.”
Many relatives, including her great-grandchildren, cited Helen’s
cookie baking talent. Great-granddaughter Amanda Isaac grew up in
Las Vegas, away from Helen, but remembered receiving a batch of
homemade sugar cookies in the mail for every birthday. “She’s an
inspiration,” Isaac said.
Helen regretfully gave up baking in her late nineties. But her
commitment to her family goes far beyond cookies; she’s also famous
in the family for her ability to listen, and her genuine interest
in and compassion for others.
“You have a manner about you that really makes people feel
better,” daughter-in-law Kathy Nichols told Helen.
“My!” Helen exclaimed. “That’s a nice compliment.”
Helen’s children also noted that she taught them the true
meaning of wealth. Said son Bill, “She’s never been wealthy. She’s
always had to struggle, financially. But I think she always
considered herself rich.”
Bill’s sister Sally agreed. “Family sustains her,” Sally
said.
Although Helen seemed surprised by all of the attention
surrounding her 100th birthday, party attendees thought it was well
deserved.
Bill noted, “She led a very simple life with great elegance, and
what a remarkable person she is. She’s always taken pleasure in the
beautiful.”
He recalled the words he had used to conclude his toast to his
mother. “She walks down the road. The mountains loom, the birds
sing.” Bill paused. “And she is content with that.”