Rest in peace, Karen Johnson Nichols

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Dick’s sister (his only sibling), Karen Johnson Landrum Nichols, on May 11, 2023.

Karen died in Kennesaw, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta), where she and her second husband, Allan Nichols, had moved in about 1999. She had been in poor health for a number of years.

Dick, Karen, and Allan in 2011
Dick, Karen, and Allan in 2011

Karen was born in North Tonawanda, New York (near Buffalo), on April 3, 1945.

Karen, Dick, and one of their show dogs, Sunny, in their back yard in Kenmore, NY
Karen, Dick, and one of their show dogs, Sunny, in their back yard in Kenmore, NY

In 1951 the family moved from the Buffalo area to the San Diego area, where father Harold got a job in the aerospace industry.  Karen and Dick attended schools in Lemon Grove, where they lived.

Karen married young, to Ronald (“Ronnie”) Landrum, and they had two boys, Ron  (born 1962) and John (born 1963).

John, about age 7, is on the left. Ron, on the right, is about 8.
John, about age 7, is on the left. Ron, on the right, is about 8. Karen’s dress and hairdo were right in style for the year 1970.

Karen and Ronnie were divorced in the early 1970s, and, in 1973, Karen married Allan Nichols. In about 1975 they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, and they were our neighbors in Cupertino for a number of years.

Young Ron died in 1995 in a traffic accident. John is currently living in Oregon.

Allan got a job in the Atlanta area in about 1999, and he and Karen bought a house in Kennesaw. We visited them there in 2011, which was the last time we saw either of them. We had some fun times on that visit!

Karen, Allan, and Dick at a museum in Kennesaw, 2011
Karen, Allan, and Dick at a museum in Kennesaw, 2011
Karen and Anna hamming it up
Karen and Anna hamming it up

Rest in peace, sister Karen.

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