Janie Nichols

"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord"

Betty Jane Maynard Nichols, age 82, of Antlers, Oklahoma, was born on February 1, 1941 and went to be with our Lord on July 6, 2023.

Betty Jane graduated from Antlers, OK High School in 1960. Betty Jane met Roy, her loving husband, in Dallas at the "It'll Do" night club and married August 7, 1970. The young couples' difficult early years almost led to divorce but their lives were dramatically changed upon acceptance of Christ as their Savior at the Grapevine, Texas Church of God. They were called into the ministry and leave a legacy of ministry that continues today through their children, grandchildren, and spiritual children.

Janie's greatest desire was to serve Christ and let His light shine to others and lead her children in the way of the Lord - to honor God and to love people. She served as pastor's wife and minister in the Church of God for 45 years, helping her husband, Roy, pastor three churches over a period of four decades in Ladonia and San Angelo, Texas and Alamogordo, New Mexico. Upon Roy's death in 2004, she returned to Antlers and continued to serve as Adult Sunday School teacher for many years in the Hugo Church of God and after relocating to Cleveland, TN, in 2017 continued ministry by volunteering at North Cleveland Church of God's Second Harvest food and clothing ministry as well as guest preaching and teaching until just a few weeks before her passing.

Janie was preceded in death by her parents, Eunice Kellett Maynard and Robert Maynard, her husband, Roy Nichols, her siblings, Chester (Ruth) Bud, Ima Jean (James), Butch (Dustie) and Billy (Patti) Maynard.

She is survived by her sister, Mary Sue Fairless, her children, Donna, Jimmy (Patricia), Jeffrey (Heather), Marlishia, and Theresa Nichols and grandchildren, Wesley (Megan), Nathan (Kaylee), John (Lizzie), Jeffrey, Dustin (Brooke), Braden, Breanna (Stephen), Lacy (Chad), Kevin, Ryan, Shawn and great-grandchildren, Zach, Lyla, Asher, Hunter, Wren, and Isabel Nichols and many nieces and nephews who loved her dearly as well.

The Celebration of Life service in Cleveland, TN is Wednesday. 12 July, at noon at North Cleveland Church of God and officiated by pastor Mark Williams and will be live streamed on Facebook.

The Antlers, OK Celebration of Life service is set for Saturday, 15 July, 11:00, at Serenity Funeral Home and led by her son, Jimmy Felihkatubbee Nichols. The service will be live streamed on Facebook and the burial will be in the Antlers cemetery.


Services are under the direction of Serenity Funeral Service of Antlers, Oklahoma.

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