Joy Fletcher Nicklas
Joy Fletcher Nicklas, 85, of Richland Township, formerly of Middlesex Township, died Tuesday morning at St. Barnabas Nursing Home after a brief stay.
Born March 30, 1931, in Chicago, she was the daughter of Roy E. and Lyola H. Fletcher.
Joy finished her degree in education and Spanish in three and a half years and graduated from Monmouth College in 1953. She was the third generation of women in her family to complete a college degree. She was a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority and was selected for mortar board.
Joy grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, which is where she met her future husband, Raymond J. “Jack” Nicklas. They were married June 21, 1953, and celebrated their 61st anniversary before his death in August of 2014.
They established their home in southern Butler County, where they lived until their move to the Villages at St. Barnabas in 2010.
Joy was some form of teacher all her life, whether in a school, a Sunday school or as a Brownie and Girl Scout troop leader. She continued leading scout troops even after her daughters had completed scouting.
Joy was an active member and served as president of the Woman's Club of Southern Butler County from 1978 to 1980 and 2004 to 2006. Also, she was a member and past president of the North Hills Suburban Fine Arts League and a member of the Order of Eastern Star, Zelienople Chapter 485, formerly part of the Mars OES Chapter.
She was a 63-year member of both the First Presbyterian Church of Bakerstown and the Butler Country Club. Joy actively supported her husband in his Rotary activities, both locally and internationally, as they traveled throughout Western Pennsylvania and other parts of the world. They made many lifelong friends as they supported Rotary's mission.
Joy's passions, after her family, were crafts and cooking. Her talents were often on display as the centerpieces at many charity functions or as wreaths on the doors of her neighbors or friends. Family and holiday dinners were very important to her. Although Joy's family was small in number, the dinner table was often filled with extra guests and visitors to enjoy the food, fellowship and lively conversations.
Joy was preceded in death by her husband and parents.
She is survived by her two daughters, Melinda N. Meighan and her husband, James, of Bradford Woods, Pa., and Melanie N. Hynden and her husband, Douglas, of Cincinnati; her two grandsons, Kyle N. Hynden and his wife, Elizabeth, of Charleston, S.C., and Capt. Richard J. Hynden, USMC, of San Diego; her brother, Robert H. Fletcher of Illinois; and two nephews.
NICKLAS — Friends of Joy Fletcher Nicklas, who died Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home, 238 Crowe Ave., Mars.A service will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the First Presbyterian Church of Bakerstown, 5825 Heckert Road, Bakerstown, with the Rev. Paul Becker, pastor, officiating. Everyone is asked to please meet at the church. Burial will follow at the North Cemetery, Butler, followed by a luncheon at the Butler County Club to celebrate Joy's life.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Rich-Mar Rotary Foundation, c/o Rich-Mar Rotary, P.O. Box 392 Mars, PA 16046, or to Hosanna Industries, 109 Rinard Lane, Rochester, PA 15074.Directions and condolences at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.
