Obituary for Juanita Nichols
Juanita Austin Nichols passed away in Morrilton on the evening of September 28, 2022, just shy of turning 90. She was born Juanita Austin to E.M. and Pearl V. Austin on October 17, 1932, in Atkins, Arkansas and became Juanita A. Nichols when she married Harold J. Nichols of Plumerville on March 12, 1954. They settled midway between their hometowns in Morrilton where they enjoyed a marriage of 54 years before Harold's passing in 2008. Together they raised a family of two sons and a daughter.
Juanita was first and foremost a teacher. She received her BSE and MSE from Arkansas State Teachers College and was certified in Vocational Home Economics and K-12 Special Education.
She then taught all subjects to pretty much all grades spanning Conway, Perry and Faulkner counties while also serving as Title I Co-coordinator within Conway County. Juanita kept busy. She taught in schoolhouses that no longer exist like Center Community and Hickory Hill and in Vilonia when it was a wide spot along Highway 64. She was handed the reins of the Jerusalem Boys Basketball Team and armed with a whistle, a rule book, and no experience, won their invitational tournament. She approached all things this same way.
In 1970 she recognized the need in Conway County for an educational and vocational alternative for physically and mentally challenged children and adults. She lined up grants and transformed the old L.W. Sullivan High School with volunteer labor and sponsors into the Conway County Center for Exceptional Children, Inc. From 1970 until 1987, she served as the founding director of operations and over saw the daily needs and education of hundreds of students and their families county wide. Along the way, she designed and executed the plans for a new building and playground around the corner from the original site. The Center continues its mission of service to this day.
She was recognized for her work by being named Volunteer of the Year for the State of Arkansas by United Cerebral Palsy of Arkansas and Woman of the Year by the Morrilton Jaycees and Jaycettes. She served on the Arkansas Social Worker's Licensing Board by appointment by the Governor and on the board of the Conway County Literacy Council. After leaving the Center she created, she continued teaching as an adjunct at Arkansas Tech University and the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton and as Special Education teacher for elementary and secondary students at Nemo Vista High School. Retiring in her mid-seventies and unable to sit around, she became, and remained until recently, a weekly volunteer at the Conway County Care Center. In her spare time, she researched and wrote histories of Morrilton, Atkins, and the Catholic Parishes of Conway County. She fished with her daddy and taught herself to weave baskets and cane chairs. She was handy with a hammer and never saw anything she didn't think she could do. She imparted an independent spirit and a determination to think and do that carries those of us who remain. Rest easy, Mom.
Graveside Service and burial will be held 11:00 AM, Saturday, October 1 at Plumerville Cemetery with Rev. Bill Sardin officiating under the direction of Lemley Funeral Service of Atkins.
Online obituary and condolences are available www.lemleyfuneral.com
Juanita was first and foremost a teacher. She received her BSE and MSE from Arkansas State Teachers College and was certified in Vocational Home Economics and K-12 Special Education.
She then taught all subjects to pretty much all grades spanning Conway, Perry and Faulkner counties while also serving as Title I Co-coordinator within Conway County. Juanita kept busy. She taught in schoolhouses that no longer exist like Center Community and Hickory Hill and in Vilonia when it was a wide spot along Highway 64. She was handed the reins of the Jerusalem Boys Basketball Team and armed with a whistle, a rule book, and no experience, won their invitational tournament. She approached all things this same way.
In 1970 she recognized the need in Conway County for an educational and vocational alternative for physically and mentally challenged children and adults. She lined up grants and transformed the old L.W. Sullivan High School with volunteer labor and sponsors into the Conway County Center for Exceptional Children, Inc. From 1970 until 1987, she served as the founding director of operations and over saw the daily needs and education of hundreds of students and their families county wide. Along the way, she designed and executed the plans for a new building and playground around the corner from the original site. The Center continues its mission of service to this day.
She was recognized for her work by being named Volunteer of the Year for the State of Arkansas by United Cerebral Palsy of Arkansas and Woman of the Year by the Morrilton Jaycees and Jaycettes. She served on the Arkansas Social Worker's Licensing Board by appointment by the Governor and on the board of the Conway County Literacy Council. After leaving the Center she created, she continued teaching as an adjunct at Arkansas Tech University and the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton and as Special Education teacher for elementary and secondary students at Nemo Vista High School. Retiring in her mid-seventies and unable to sit around, she became, and remained until recently, a weekly volunteer at the Conway County Care Center. In her spare time, she researched and wrote histories of Morrilton, Atkins, and the Catholic Parishes of Conway County. She fished with her daddy and taught herself to weave baskets and cane chairs. She was handy with a hammer and never saw anything she didn't think she could do. She imparted an independent spirit and a determination to think and do that carries those of us who remain. Rest easy, Mom.
Graveside Service and burial will be held 11:00 AM, Saturday, October 1 at Plumerville Cemetery with Rev. Bill Sardin officiating under the direction of Lemley Funeral Service of Atkins.
Online obituary and condolences are available www.lemleyfuneral.com