Miriam "Mim" Nichols

Beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, Miriam “Mim” Nichols, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, on Tuesday, June 19, 2012, age 88. Mim, a lifelong resident of West Hartford, will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Mim was born in Canton, OH, August 6, 1923, to John Waters and Josephine Kaufmann. She and her sister Helen moved with their parents to West Hartford when she was 9 years old and she graduated from Hall High School in 1941. Mim was a cheerleader at Hall High School, where she was also voted the most popular girl in her class. She then attended the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. Mim married J. George Schilke, Jr. in 1946. They were married for 37 years and were the parents of Joyce, Gail and Donna Schilke. During her life, Mim worked at the YWCA in West Hartford and was a proud member of The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, as well as an enthusiastic dancer with Helyn Flanagan’s adult women’s tap class, the Sophisticated Ladies, until she was 86. Widowed in 1983, Mim married her beloved second husband, Robert “Bob” Nichols in 1989 and they happily traveled the world together until his death in 1998. Mim became a stepmother and grandmother to Bob’s adult children Paul, Stephanie, Stodd and Zannah and their children. Mim moved into The McAuley in 2009 after living for 60 years on Linbrook Rd. She is survived by her three daughters, Joyce Cohen and her husband, Charles Morey of UT /NYC and their son, Will Morey of Los Angeles; Gail Schilke of Sarasota, FL and Donna Schilke of CT/PA and her children Rebekah, Gabriel and Joseph Castagno and her granddaughter Ariela Castagno. Mim Nichols’ family would like to express their appreciation to the nursing staff at The McAuley, to McLean Hospice and to her end-of-life caretaker, Gloria Sampson. Although Mim will be greatly missed by all who loved this most gracious lady, she has left behind a legacy of inspiration that will live on in the lives of all she touched. A memorial service will be held Monday, June 25, 2012 at the McAuley, 275 Steele Rd. Building A, at 1:00 p.m. Please note, due to construction, parking with shuttle service will be available in the lot behind Mercyknoll at 243 Steele Rd. West Hartford. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army Southern New England Division, 855 Asylum Ave. Hartford, CT, 06105 attn: Donations. Online expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com.

Miriam "Mim" Nichols

August 6, 1923 - June 19, 2012