Francis Anthony Frank Nickol, age 85
passed away on Saturday, March 3, 2007 at the Marias Valley Care Center in Shelby, Montana. He was born on December 29, 1921 to George and Elizabeth (Thiese) Nickol on their family farm east of Ledger, Montana.
In 1939 at the age of 18, Frank purchased his first piece of farm ground. The seller asked Frank for one dollar and told him to make payments to him of “whatever and whenever you can make them.” This farm grew to about 2000 acres. He also purchased a ranch north of Havre that he once said, “Luckily, right before the prices went up,” that was later sold.
In the late fall of 1941, Frank was arrested by the F.B.I. and falsely accused of being a Nazi sympathizer. It was an event that left him with a life-long suspicion and distrust of government and politics. During the fall of 1953 he went to visit his cousin, Helen Frank, and met Mary Margaret Wendt, who was teaching at the Mountain Brook School. They were married June 14, 1954 at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Kalispell. They returned to the farm he bought in 1939. In 1960 the couple moved their growing family into a new home at the present farm site. Frank and Mary raised seven boys starting with George in 1955; Chris came along in 1957, then Matthew in 1958, Steve in 1960, Andy in 1961, Simon in 1964, Luke (who was still-born) in 1968 and finally Sam in 1975. Frank worked with all his sons, teaching them his mechanical genius as well as an amazing array of talent and ability to get the job done no matter what it might be. In 1984 he turned the farm over to his eldest son, George, and moved to an 80-acre place in the Flathead Valley, which had been given to them by Mary’s father. In 1985 Frank helped his son, Steve, buy and rebuild a marina on Flathead Lake. He then helped run it for the next 10 years.
Frank was preceded in death by his parents, a still-born son and his siblings: Fred, Clair, Ed, Joe, Lee and Anna.
He is survived by his wife Mary Margaret Nickol of Kalispell, MT; and seven sons; George and wife Bonnie, Chris, Matt, Steve, Andy and wife Cindy, Simon and Sam; 5 grandchildren: Jamie, Casey, Sherwood, Victoria Kay “Tori”, and Mary Frances.
Mass of Christian Burial for Frank Nickol was held on March 12, 2007 at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church with Father Vic Langhans as celebrant. Committal will follow at the Glacier Memorial Gardens, next to his son Luke. Rosary services were Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. in the Johnson Mortuary Chapel. The family suggests memorial gifts be given to the charity of the donor’s choice.