Barbara ‘Sparky’ Nichols
Graveside services for Barbara “Sparky” Nichols, 74, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 12, 2022, at Childress Cemetery with Zeth Collom and Patrick Thomas officiating. Burial will follow under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home.
She passed away Nov. 8, 2022, in Childress, Texas.
Barbara Lee Nichols was born in Childress on Sept. 2, 1948, to Bobby Lee and Lillian Nichols.
She was a graduate of Childress High School and was a 35-year employee of Childress Independent School District, doing a little bit of everything, including taking lunch tickets and teaching PE, along with maintenance of the grounds. She ran the Childress Little League for 15 years in the 1980s and 1990s. She loved her dogs and cats and was a big advocate for St. Jude’s and Shriner’s, giving them donations every month. She loved the Childress Bobcats and listened to the game broadcast every Friday night. She never missed a game in person when her nephews played. She loved to cook for others and was famous for her beef jerky. She loved the Special Olympics. She was a hard-working, dedicated and loyal friend to many in the Childress community.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her best friend, Marla Butcher.
Survivors include three sisters, Peggy Hill and husband Rodney, Patty Martin and husband Paul, and Lorry Collom and husband Ricky; nephews Patrick Thomas and wife Vasthy, Jeremy Martin and Zeth Collom and wife Jacque; nieces Quay Collom, Sayre Tovar and husband Eli, and Clancy Collom; nine great-nieces and nephews; aunts Dorothy Nichols and Myrl Burchett; close friends Suzanne Atchley and Sarah Snow; and special cousins Zoe Ann Foard and Monica Custer. She also leaves behind her special dog, Andy, and many other extended family members and friends.
Memorials may be made to Childress Regional Medical Center Hospice or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
