Dear Family and Friends,

It is with much sadness that I am informing you of the Peacefully Passing of my wife, Susan Hart
Nichols, on 12/10/2014 at home with me. Per her request she has been cremated.
First, lets review the good times of 2014:

In May, we traveled to D.C. for Harper Wathens Georgetown graduation before he stormed Wall Street.
Our next stop was Rock Bridge County, VA to visit my cousins (Shafer(s), Hunter(s), and Kaloostian(s)).
The last stop in Blacksburg, VA to see Clay, Teri, and the fabulous three sisters.

In August to Lexington to the annual Maxs birthday celebration, seeing local friends, and bourbon distillery
tours.

In September, our southern trip to visit John Nichols (brother) and my cousins (Wathen(s) and McGill(s)) in
Atlanta and our friends (Ann and Mitchell) in Cleveland, TN.

Thanksgiving, we were honored with the visit of all the Big D Cree family (my sister (Betty), nephew (RJ),
his wife (Karin) and their lovable and lively 18 month old daughter (Adalynn).

Now the rest of the story:

Susan developed pneumonia in October 2014 which required hospitalization. This was
caused because she has developed Dysphasia (swallowing problem common with MS) in the
last year. The condition can increase the occurrence to aspirate food into your lung
which she did in her right lung.
With that said, Susan displayed a high level of confusion, swallowing, and speech issues
that the doctors recommended she be placed under Hospice care after her discharge. I have
seen her with these conditions in the past and she always came back. By the end of
October and early November, I saw much improvement to allow us to return to the
orchestra, zoo, and museum visits. But by the end of November, she had another relapse.
Susan has had a long journey with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that started in 1972 before she
went to France. The exacerbation (flare-up) effected both of her eyes, but her vision
returned to allow her to study aboard for a year.

The exacerbations returned about every four years with some negative residual effect
after each occurrence. I moved in with her on Christmas Day 1979 after returning from
Alaska and we were married on her birthday June 25, 1982.
Her disease forced her out of teaching ESL at University of Louisville in 1982. She had
to take disability from her secretarial position in 1987. In 1999, she went into the
wheelchair.
She has always been a trooper and traveled to many places (France, Japan, England, etc.)
and attended many events with me.
In 2013, Susan was having issues and another MRI, it was determined that she had moved
from Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) to Secondary-Progressive MS (SPMS). Also, Susan
stopped taking MS drugs, because there was no effect with SPMS.
I hope you will remember the good times you had with Susan. She loved all her Family and
Friends.
I am not sure of my future plans at this time, but hope to see many of you on my travels.