Patricia "Pat" was born on March 14, 1945, to Paul Ellis and Lorraine (McCullough) Ellis in La Plata, MO. She grew up in the St. Louis area and graduated from Ritenour High School in St. Louis, MO. She then went on to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in political science. While at MU, she met and married James Preston "Jim" Nichols, Sr. on December 30, 1967, and became a bonus mom to James Preston "Jay" Nichols, Jr. They remained residents of Columbia with Pat working a research/office assistant position until Jim completed his Masters Degree in Electrical engineering at Mizzou, and gave birth to their first girl, Aimee Lynn Nichols (Dryden) in 1971. Soon after that, Jim took a job with Kansas City Power & Light at the LaCygne, KS, station, so the family moved to Adrian, MO.
Pat became a stay-at-home mother to Jay and Aimee. In 1974, Pat gave birth to their second girl, Angeline Marie Nichols (Preston). Pat continued to care for her family at home through her husband's death in February of 1990, until she and Aimee chose to attend Penn Valley Community College, graduating as a member of Phi Theta Kappa with an Associate's Degree in Health Information Management in 1995. From there, Pat worked briefly at Children's Mercy and St. Joseph Health Center in medical records. However, she decided that the commute and city driving were not for her, so she then took a position as the evening Unit Secretary for Bates County Memorial Hospital. She held that position for over a decade until she decided to retire.
While she missed her co-workers, she enjoyed her retirement and loved living in her country home. Flowers, trees, birds, nature, and animals were some of her favorite things, especially her dog, known as Scottie MacDougal. She followed politics closely, but she knew in the end that this world was not her forever home. She enjoyed music and art, as well as her BBC programs. She was an amazing seamstress and she could tackle home-building projects, as well. Her mind was always sharp and active, constantly learning new things, and her generous heart gave to many different causes that had her mailbox overflowing with charity requests. Whether she was working outside of the home or not, she continued to care for her family by assisting her children with their own children and fulfilling her favorite role as "Granny Pat." The role of the most loving, caring, strong, kind, praying Christian mother and granny is how her family will always remember her.
Patricia is preceded in death by her parents; husband; and brother, Richard Franklin Ellis. She is survived by her daughters: Aimee (Jim) Dryden and Angeline "Angie" (Josh) Preston; son, James "Jay" Nichols, Jr.; grandchildren: Devon (Amanda) Nichols, James "J.P." Dryden, Jeremy Dryden, Nicholas (Maycie) Preston, Kellen (Reagan) Preston, and Isabella Preston; great-grandson, Luke Preston; and one great-granddaughter arriving soon, Finley June Preston.
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