Donna Jean Nickle

Donna Jean Nickle, age 90, passed away peacefully on February 20, 2025, at Good Shepherd Homecare and Hospice House in Manhattan, Kansas.

She was born on Saturday, December 22, 1932, in Bigelow, Kansas, to Loma Fern Frank and Karl Arthur Wagor. Donna graduated from Frankfort High School in 1952 and started working at Kansas State University.

Donna and Marion Wagner were married in 1955, and they had four daughters: Sheryl, Sondra, Teresa, and Laura. Donna married Howard Nickle in 1972, and they had one son, Brian. Donna worked as a secretary for over 35 years at Kansas State University in the Office of Soil Conservation, Extension Home Economics, and KKSU Radio. She retired from KSU in 1999 and continued to work for several years as a transcriptionist for Riley County Court Services.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Virginia Coil; her son-in-law, Thomas Cuddy; her granddaughter, Kacie Rae Skidmore; and her grandson, Allan Bechtel.

She is survived by her sister, Barbara Merrill of Topeka, Kansas; her children: Sheryl Johnson (Larry) of Chino Valley, Arizona; Sondra Cuddy of Gilbert, Arizona; Teresa Bechtel (Tom) of Owasso, Oklahoma; Laura Skidmore of Manhattan, Kansas; and Brian Nickle (Miriam), Randolph, Kansas. She is also survived by her four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren: Thomas John (TJ) Cuddy, Laela, and Emma; Whitney Cuddy, Eleanor, Lake, and Nash; Charles Colton Skidmore (Mikayla), Harlow; and Erin Bechtel White (Nick), Nolan, and Baby Girl arriving in May 2025.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Good Shepherd Hospice House and Homecare.