Billie Nichols

Billie Lynn Nichols, age 80, of Spicer, died Sunday evening, July 28, at her home.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, August 2, at Faith Lutheran Church in Spicer.
Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday, August 1, at the Peterson Brothers Green Lake Funeral Home in Spicer (www.petersonbrothers.com) and 1/2 hour prior to the services at the church.
Billie Lynn Nichols was born on June 15, 1933 in Raymond, Minnesota to the late William and Leona (Johnson) Wegner. She grew up in Raymond and was baptized and confirmed at St. John's Lutheran Church. Billie graduated from Raymond High School in 1951 and moved to Minneapolis. While in Minneapolis she met Frank E. Scalzo. They were married in Raymond on August 15, 1954. Billie worked for Gedney and Frank was a professional chef in the Twin Cities area. In 1964, Billie moved back to Willmar with her four children. She began working for Great Northern Railroad as an office administrator where she met her second husband, Bernard "Nick" Nichols. They were married at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in May of 1968. They family moved to Spicer in 1969. Nick retired shortly before he passed away in the summer of 1978. In 1979, Billie sold her home and built her current home on adjacent property that she owned. In 1988, Billie took early retirement from the railroad in order to serve others. She traveled to Jamaica for the Peace Corps for two years and worked with the Young MotherBaby Program. While in Jamaica she survived Hurricane Gilbert. In 1992, Billie did a second term with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. In 1993, she began working with Lutheran Social Service in St. Paul where she worked as an ESL teacher with the Southeast Asian Ministry. After returning home to Spicer, she started volunteering with the Foster Grandparent program in the New London-Spicer school system, which she did for several years. Billie enjoyed anything outdoors including bird watching. She also enjoyed needlework, continuously making clothes and blankets for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her gardening talents will be missed, but her love for cooking for her family will be our fondest memory. She loved having her grandchildren and great-grandchildren come to spend time with her. Billie also instilled a love for animals.
She will be remembered and missed greatly by three sons: Bill (and Lynne) Scalzo of Duluth, Rick Scalzo of Spicer, and Joel (and Ann) Scalzo of Plymouth; daughter, Frankie Scalzo of Clearbrook; grandchildren, Sara (and Dave) Rapp, Anthony Scalzo, Zachary Scalzo, Stephen Scalzo (and Kelly Yaeger), Michael Scalzo and Daniel Scalzo; great-grandchildren, Nataleh and Addyson Rapp and a great granddaughter due in August; and her sister, Donna Dee Rambow. Billie will also be missed by Nick's surviving children, Gary (and Maureen) Nichols, Brad Nichols, and Kathy (and Mike) Baker.