Tanya Sue (Lincoln) Nichols

12/16/1934 – 03/04/2025

Tanya Sue (Lincoln) Nichols died March 4, 2025, after brief illness. Tanya was born in Kearney, NE, December 16, 1934, and moved west with her family as a child. She attended Evergreen High School, and married the love of her life, Jerry Nichols, July 1, 1951. Their wedding was in her family home, a white farmhouse that was a landmark at the intersection of NE 137th Ave. and 49th St. in Orchards.

Jerry was in the Navy, and the newlyweds lived in San Diego, CA, and Bremerton, WA when he was stateside. They settled in Washougal after his discharge and lived there until the mid ‘60s, when they bought that farmhouse and moved to Orchards. They maintained a large garden, and
she canned or froze volumes of produce. The family will never find strawberry preserves or dill pickles to rival hers!

Tanya was a devoted wife and mother, accommodating her husband’s shiftwork at the Camas paper mill, and raising 4 children, then a grandson. She was always there for them, often fixing breakfast several times a day due to Jerry’s work and double-shifting school schedules. She was always busy and took life’s challenges in stride. Besides supporting her kids’ school activities, she made time to play softball, yard games, and board games and enjoyed family camping trips and hikes. She became a cub scout Den Mother when there wasn’t a local chapter for her sons to join. She also was an accomplished seamstress, making everything from pajamas to prom and wedding dresses, and skilled at embroidery and crotchet. After Jerry retired in the late ‘80s they moved to Ocean Park, WA. They were active in the Eagles and Moose there, and spent many winters traveling by motor home, mostly in the desert southwest, Midwest, and Mexico. They returned to Camas several years ago.

Tanya is survived by three children, Vicky Sterling (Jan), Kraig Nichols (Kathie), and Mark Nichols; sister Sharon Fosburg (Gene), brother Ross Lincoln, and sisters-in-law Jeanne Lincoln and Arlene Conner; five grandchildren, Jerad Nichols, Tosha Bennett (Andrew Reyes), Jess Nichol (Vidya), Keith Nichols (Cindy Hartman), and Jaime Nichols (Anthony Lee); 14 great-grandchildren, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry, and son, Brian.

The service will be at Brown’s Funeral Home in Camas at 11 am Saturday, April 12.