Obituary of Karl Weldon Nichols

Karl Weldon Nichols, 91, of Wheatland, California, passed away Saturday, September 14th, 2024, Rideout Memorial Hospital, Marysville, from complications due to cancer treatment. Karl was born 19 October 1932 in Gilbert (Mesa), Arizona, the 5th child and 2nd son to Charles Weldon Nichols and Elizabeth Belle Stark.

Karl finished school through 8th grade in Arizona before his parents moved their family from Arizona to Wheatland. The family purchased 1700 acres, part of the Dam Ranch, and dry farmed grain on it. The following year alfalfa was planted on 100 acres of the farm. It was a big change for Karl as he started high school in Wheatland with 45 students in his home room compared to 250 students in Mesa. Karl liked football and basketball and played on teams of each during his high school years. Initially he was too young to play football, so he was the waterboy for a season. His B Team basketball won league championships two years in a row. They played 6 man or 11-man football. Karl attended Yuba College for a year and played football on their college team as well.

It was at the high school basketball games that he met his future wife, Helen Lucille Cargill, who ran the scoreboard. They were married on 30 Nov 1951 in Helen’s grandparent Fairey’s home. In his parent’s 1948 4 door Packard, they narrowly escaped being blown off the Golden Gate Bridge during a severe windstorm while on their honeymoon. They first lived with his parents while Karl built a home for himself and his wife across the street at 201 Olive Street in Wheatland. Karl and Helen were blessed with 5 daughters, Kathryn, Carolyn, Marilyn, Connie and Barbara.

In 1966 the family had outgrown the small green house, and Karl built an adobe home for his family further north on Nichols Road and has remained at that home throughout the remainder of his life. The ag class that Karl took at Yuba College was where the inception and plans were made to plant almond and walnut orchards on the ranch. So, the farm migrated from grain only, to grains and cattle, and then grain, cattle and orchards. Karl remarkably survived more than nine farming accidents on the ranch. Karl farmed with his father and brother throughout his life and retired from farming in 2003. Karl kept busy at home with gardening and his fruit trees. He also enjoyed daily exercise, walking the family dogs and/or swimming in the pool.

Annual family vacations were a camping and fishing trip for abalone at Westport, California. Dad was excellent at finding abalone and almost always got his limit. He taught his daughters, sons-in-laws, and others how to look for them on the rocks. Betty and Karl added another annual vacation trip each year to Lake Tahoe where they enjoyed a variety of activities. Karl and Betty traveled during Karl’s retirement years including two trips to Alaska, trips to Mexico, Las Vegas, Branson, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Kansas and Pennsylvania.

Karl served faithfully in many positions as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and can be considered a “pioneer” in Wheatland with the growth of the church in this area. Initially the church was in Yuba City (45-to-60-minute drive) and as membership grew a chapel was built in Marysville (now it was only a 30-minute drive), and then to fulfill his dreams a chapel was built in Wheatland where he enjoyed the short 5 minute trip to church each week.

His wife Helen joined the church, and their family was sealed together in the Mesa Temple in 955 where Karl’s Stark grandparents lived. After the death of Helen in 2002, Karl met Betty Lewis at a church sponsored dance and they married 22 May 2004. They were sealed in the Sacramento Temple, 21 May 2013.

Karl was a strong, hard worker and he was always volunteering and helping with service projects for his family, extended family, and community throughout his life. An invitation from his brother-in-law Vernon Nightingale started Karl’s service as a volunteer fireman for the Wheatland Fire Department. He started this service the year after he graduated from high school and continued this service to the community for over 50 years. During the latter part of this service, he was the Fire Chief. The annual fundraising Firemen ‘s Picnic on the 4th of July was a major event he was involved with through the years.

Karl is survived by his wife, Betty Lewis, daughters, Kathryn (Stephen) Egbert, Connie (Brent) Shumway, Barbara (CR) Mortell, and Jennifer (Mike) McDermott; sisters Claudia Nightingale (John Sanger) and Charlene Kuhl; grandchildren Brea Nason, Todd (Kristen) Lisonbee, Melisa (Dennis) Taylor, Tamarrah Phillips, Greg (Cody) Mortell, Jared Shumway and Natasha (Ryan) Bombini; six great-grandchildren, Justin Nason, and Kyle and Shelby Pace, Nathan Mortell, Aubrey and Stella Bombini, and Bryson(Jess) Davis, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.

Preceded in death by his parents; sisters Dorothy McDowell, Pauline Kempton, and Sherrie Gay Christensen; brother Francis “Ted” Nichols; wife, Helen Lucille Cargill; children, Carolyn Phillips and Marilyn Nichols; three grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

Visitation will be at 10:00-11:00am on Saturday, September 28th at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5091 Wheatland Road, Wheatland. Funeral services will follow the same day at 11:30am at the church. Burial will follow at Wheatland Cemetery, 4865 Wheatland Road, following the funeral. In lieu of flowers, you can make a memorial donation to one of your favorite charities or to the Wheatland Fire Department, 313 Main Street, PO Box 119, Wheatland, CA 95692.