Donald Alvin Nichols, born February 13, 1939, passed at the U of M Hospital in Minneapolis, MN on February 17 th , 2020 with his loving wife and family by his side.
Visitation will be held from 6:00-7:00 p.m., with rosary and prayer service at 7:00 p.m., on Friday February 21, 2020, at Bismarck Funeral Home.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m., on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at Ascension Church in Bismarck, ND, with Monsignor James Braaten officiating.
Burial will take place following the service at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bismarck.
Donald was born on February 13, 1939 in Gladmar Sask, Canada, a son of Walter and Ethyl Nichols (Krause). He was raised on the family homestead in Gladmar until the age of 13 when he moved to Montana to live with his sister, Eleanor, and brother-in-law, Norman. He graduated from Outlook High School and was drafted into the United States Army in 1962 and served two years as a Specialist with B Battery 1 st Battalion 21 st Artillery as a radar operator in the Korean War. Upon returning home he held various oilfield jobs, working his way up in his profession until his retirement as a consultant from El Paso Oil Corporation.
On January 19, 1979, he married his loving wife, LaDonna Bouche, in Bismarck, ND. Donald and LaDonna together had two sons, Blaine and Casey. He is remembered for loving life and having a passion for camping, fishing, dancing, and playing cards. In his later years he and LaDonna spent the cold North Dakota winters at their home in Mesa, Arizona, where he enjoyed great friendship, warm weather, golfing, and bocce ball.
Don was a wonderful husband, father, father-in-law, and grandpa. He is deeply missed by his family and friends. We will especially miss the camping trips, the bingo games, rodeos, and watching him play with his grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Walter Nichols and Ethyl Nichols Slater, sister and brother-in-law Eleanor and Norman Hollatz, brother and sister-in-law Stanley and Jessie Nichols, two infant brothers, one infant sister, brother-in-law Adolf Junior Johnson, mother and father-in-law Mary Alice and Aelred Bouche.
Donald is survived by his wife, Ladonna, of Bismarck, ND, children Blaine (Tonya) Nichols of Bismarck, ND, Casey (Jessica) of Bismarck, ND, step-daughters Angela (Bill) Holtzman of Kansas City, MO and Marti Stevens of Vernal UT, granddaughters Paxtin, Tayla, Toralee, Ariah, and Kelcee, grandsons Pierson and Tate, sister Elsie Johnson of Wenatchee, WA and many cousins, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and friends.