Copeland - Lonnie Nichols was born January 2, 1961, in Greensburg, to Harold and Shirley Nichols. He peacefully passed away in the early morning hours less than six weeks after his diagnosis of brain cancer at Swedish Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, on April 26, 2022. God decided his life's work was complete at the age of 61. He was close to the mountains that he loved.

Dad was the middle son, with Kent being older and Layne being younger. From Greensburg, their family moved to Scott City for a time before moving to Copeland. Dad would sometimes talk of his childhood friend and cousin, Clark and their escapades.

Dad was baptized at the age of 12 by Minister Dee Wayne Koehn. During his youth years, God showed Dad a vision of heaven and Dad knew he could not enter because of his walk of life. This vision was real to dad, and he made his way right with God.

I, Jan, fell in love with Lonnie at an early age and we were married March 1, of 1981, in the Salem Mennonite Church, Copeland. He has always been a hard worker and I deeply appreciate how he provided for us. I feel privileged to have spent 41 amazing years together with him.

After Dad and Mom got married, they moved to Paris, Texas. Mom worked at Wal-Mart and Dad worked for a rancher and cut firewood on the side. They kept their money in a coffee can and had no telephone. Mom said they fished a lot and ate a lot of fish. Their trailer in the woods was a little sanctuary. Dad started moving dirt. They worked in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and lived in 16 different apartments as they moved equipment to jobsites across the South. This was a colorful time of his life, and he would often tell us stories of the places they worked, the men he had worked with, and the experiences they'd had. Dad felt God was asking him to sacrifice his passion of dirt moving for a more settled lifestyle of farming as the responsibility of raising a family came. The door opened to move to western Kansas in 1991, where dad began to farm. He always said, "I'm not a farmer."

We all love the outdoors. Nearly every summer we enjoyed going to Colorado, and Dad was always so excited. Together, we have hiked numerous 14,000 foot peaks there. We have good memories of exploring trails with us all riding on one four wheeler. We hiked the Gila National Forest in a snowstorm and also the Grand Canyon, camping at the bottom for two nights. Folks spent two summers in New York City as unit parents, volunteering at soup kitchens and missions in the city. We have fond memories of our trip to tour the countries of Haiti and Dominican Republic. In recent years, he took his dad Harold on an adventurous trip to Alaska with a camper. He loved to travel with Mom and enjoyed the adventure of many places. He never liked to take the same road twice.

Dad truly enjoyed building and repairing machinery for himself and others. He used the mind and strength God gave him to build many projects for others to enjoy. Dad was ordained to the deaconry in 2002. He liked to take care of his ministers and asked to polish their shoes. He deeply loved his congregation, and felt privileged to have served on the Colonization Board. We saw him many times in the last months lifting up his hands toward Heaven and saying, "To God be the Glory."

Dad often used the Spanish he picked up in his younger years. Dad would step up to anyone and talk to them about God. He was not ashamed of the Gospel and loved everyone with no reservations. Children were especially dear to him and he would tell them, "Did you know that we're friends?!" The last couple of weeks together with dad were special and the memories are numerous. Recently he had a very severe time of pain and couldn't talk for some time. When dad could speak again, he simply said, "God has been so good to me." Dad commented many times after his diagnosis that he wouldn't trade perfect health for the peace of God he had in his heart. He often said, "God is so good."

Those that Dad loved and are left behind include his wife, Jan; their sons, Wesley and wife Carmen, and Waylon and wife Sarah; three precious grandsons, Bentley Dale, Bradley George, and Branson Luke, all of Copeland; his mother, Shirley; two brothers, Kent and wife Becky and Layne and wife Marci, all of Gentry, Arkansas; brothers-in-law, Daylen Yost and Daymon and wife Marilyn Yost;  sister-in-law, Londa and husband Howard Koehn, all of Copeland; and many special nieces, nephews, and friends.  Lonnie was preceded in death by his father, Harold; his parents-in-law, Arlin and Florence Yost; and his sister-in-law, Cheryl Blake.

We wish to thank everyone for their prayers and love.

Funeral service will be held at Salem Mennonite Church, Copeland on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 10:30 AM.  Burial will follow at Salem Mennonite Cemetery.  Visitation will be at Swaim Funeral Chapel, Montezuma on Saturday, April 30, 2022 from noon to 5:00 PM. Memorials are suggested to Confidence Health Center in care of the funeral home.  Thoughts and memories may be shared in the online guest book at www.swaimfuneralhome.com.