Stella Marie Nichols

Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1923 to Mary and Anthony Brosky, Stella led a productive and sometimes hard life primarily as a homemaker. She was strong willed which helped her both to persevere and to achieve. She attended a Tridelphia school and enjoyed practicing acrobatics when she was young. She married Charles Pascavage at the onset of World War II, and the couple's first child, Charlie (Butch), was born several months after Charles was already deployed to England, Africa and then Italy serving in the Army's 34th Infantry Division. Stella was proud of the work she did in parallel in a bomb factory supporting the war effort. The family was reunited after about five years when Charles came home after the war. In 1963, the family had grown to have four children and moved to Butte, Montana. While Charles worked in the mines, smelter and concentrator, Stella spent a lot of time involved in babysitting, garage sales, trading antiques and in property acquisitions. One of the highlights of this period for Stella was the trip she and her sister, Helen, took to Europe to visit Stella's son Tony and his family serving in the US Army in Germany at the time. Stella often reflected on the fun of ‘freaking out' on the dance floor one dark night in southern Germany during that trip. Later, Charles retired, and the couple fulfilled a dream by moving to an isolated three acre property near Waterloo, Montana in the mid-1980s. After only about a year into retirement, fire took most of the house, Charles passed away soon thereafter, and Stella moved to Payette, Idaho to be closer to family. Stella acquired a nice house in Payette and having been taught to drive in Butte, she reluctantly started actually driving a car on her own. Stella worked in some of the local produce facilities and also began to partake in Payette Senior Citizens' activities where she met a gentleman named Stanley Nichols. Stella and Stanley became great friends and married in 1988. Stella stopped working and happily relinquished driving duties shortly thereafter. The new couple honeymooned in Hawaii and maintained cabins in Oregon and then central Idaho. Stella was proud to be the editor/publisher for the Payette Seniors' newspaper articles for a long period. As age set in and family members had moved from the Payette area, they decided to move to Idaho Falls, Idaho in 2004, again to be closer to family. In Idaho Falls, Stella and Stan regularly took part in Idaho Falls Senior Citizens' activities, attended ARTI plays, and continued to enjoy the outdoors. Stanley passed away in 2008, and Stella's memory began to fail. She enjoyed trips a few years ago to see family in Aberdeen, Washington and to visit her sisters in Wheeling and Boston. She continued to enjoy family activities and treks to the greenbelt until her final days. Surviving Stella are her sisters Helen Petri of Wheeling, West Virginia and Bertha Matson of Braintree, Massachusetts; children Becky (Gene) Sims, Ben Pascavage, and Tony (Colleen) Pascavage of Idaho Falls, Idaho; and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, both husbands, and her oldest son Charlie Pascavage. In keeping with Stella's wishes, services were private. Memorials are recommended to either the Idaho Falls Senior Citizen Center or the Payette Senior Center. We miss you mom. Arrangements are under the direction of Buck-Miller-Hahn Funeral Home in Idaho Falls.A patient and stately lady passed away on Friday, July 26th, 2013 from complications due to Alzheimer's dementia. Stella Marie Nichols is loved, will be missed, and fond memories of her remain.