George Raymond Nicol

George Raymond Nicol (aka: Punk, Nick, Monty, Ray) was born on Oct. 4, 1924, to George Raymond, Sr., and Minnie Anna (Struple) Nicol in Glasgow, Mont. While spending his last two years with assistance from Valley View staff, he quietly and peacefully fell asleep in his bed Thursday evening, Feb. 23, 2017, at age 92.

His folks came to Montana in 1909 and built a log house which is now under the Ft. Peck Dam waters. Their home then was what later became the Southern most edge of Ft. Peck Dam (then Dawson County). They lived one year at Lou Johnson's place. He would share his love for horses by giving kids a ride on his pony for 10 cents.

In 1933, they moved by the Milk River where they farmed. Somewhere during 1935-36, after his dad purchased the Rio Theater, Maxine and her sister, Lorene, worked there as ushers. It was at this time that he met Maxine and told everyone, "some day I will marry that little gal."

During WWII, he and his family raised sugar beets so the government allowed them to use prisoners of war to thin and hoe beets; later on they hired Mexicans so he learned how to speak Spanish.

He and Maxine married on Dec. 15, 1945. They purchased a dairy, which they called Nicol Dairy, and lived there only a year due to a harsh winter. From there, they moved to Nashua and raised their three children, Janice, Bill and Kathy.

In 1958, they bought the farm from Jeff Wagner 3 miles south of Nashua. During the years on the farm (1958 to 2014), Connie and Bonnie joined the family. In October 2014, they moved into Glasgow at Prairie Ridge Village. Due to medical needs, it became necessary to auction off the farm.

He graduated in 1942 from Nashua High School (as did Maxine, their five children, and two grandchildren). After graduating, he moved to California, welding on the Moore Dock. During that same year, he spent time working at the Navy Shipyards in Bremerton, Wash. He also welded for an oil rig north of Nashua.

He taught welding at the Glasgow Air Force Base and worked for Pittsburg Demoin Steel, welding on steel water towers. He worked for G.E. Marshel doing road construction (welding) south of Ft. Peck. He took welding jobs wherever possible and worked for Chicago Bridge and Corps of Engineers at Ft. Peck and was hired for pre-grandola, testing new technology welding south of Ft. Peck near the Pines. He was employed with Montana Dakota Utilities for a few years.

His love for horses landed him in the medical facilities more than once. When he was about 13, he was trampled by a horse, which left his face severely smashed. Upon seeing a doctor in Wolf Point, his mom was shown how to massage his face to help shape the bones. A few years later, his horse ran into a barb-wired fence, throwing him into the fence, nearly severing the artery underneath his armpit, requiring many stitches. In 1978, another horse accident took place where he was air-lifted to Billings. Due to his pelvic being split apart 5", he remained in the hospital six weeks. On July 24, 1992, he had open heart surgery for five by-passes. On July 10, 2000, he suffered an aneurysm, which took some time to recover.

Along with the love of providing for his family by farming, he also enjoyed hunting, riding horses, helping with ranch round-ups, playing his guitar and singing with many long-time and new-found friends when he and Maxine spent winter months in Arizona with several others while taking part in various jam sessions.

He and Maxine loved to dance and they floated out on the dance floor as though they were dancing on clouds. They were honored to represent the Nashua All-School Reunion of 2006 by being selected as Grand Marshall.

He was preceded in death by his father, George Raymond Nicol Sr .; his mother, Minnie Anna (Struple) Nicol; one sister, Marjorie H. Shea; and two half-brothers, William and Clifton H. Carr.

Survivors include his beautiful wife, Maxine; four daughters, Janice Shanks and her husband, Dennis; Kathleen Steele (friend Greg Ganje), Connie Culliton and her husband, Steve, and Bonnie Nicol; one son, William Nicol and his wife, Kareen; six grandchildren, Janelle Bargmann and her husband, Troy, Jayme Valnes and her husband, Emit, Shelly Nicol, Shane Nicol and his wife, Alyssa, Scott Steele and his wife, Evaana, and Joy Partridge; nine great-grandchildren, Hannah and Kayla Nicol, Scottie Passmore, Justice Steele, his wife, Candace, and children Hazen and Emerson, and Aasya Steele; Alexys "Lexy" and Pacyn Partridge, Garrett and Stetson Bargmann.

Services were held at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Nashua at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, with Pastor Bonnie Novak officiating. He will be put to rest in the Nashua Cemetery.

Bell Mortuary Funeral Home in Glasgow assisted with funeral arrangements.