Amy Hargrove Nicholson

Born in Athens, Georgia, on October 17, 1942, Amy was the daughter of Alexander Hargrove, Jr., a construction engineer, and Kathryn Duke Hargrove, a beloved school teacher in Watkinsville, where Amy attended grammar school and the early years of high school. After the family moved to Jackson County, Amy graduated from Jefferson High School in 1959. Following her freshman year at Emory at Oxford, she transferred to the University of Georgia, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and earned her BSHE degree in 1964. She married Jerry Nicholson in 1965, and they moved to Monroe, where Amy worked with Walton EMC. Two years later, Amy and Jerry resettled in Athens, where their sons, Jeff and Alex, were born.

Having as a youngster attended Jennie Arnold Edwards YWCO Camp on Jennings Mill Road, where she was privileged to know the camp’s charismatic director Judy Adams Walker, Amy fell in love with Y Camp; and her first summer jobs were on the staff at Y Camp followed by a stint at Camp Vega in Maine. Later she served for several years as camp director and subsequently became executive director of the Athens YWCO. Amy managed the involved process of relocating the Y from its cramped, aging facility in downtown Athens to its present location on Research Road. She also started the YWCO Girls Club, a program of summer recreation for girls from low-income families which is now in its 43rd year. Later, when encroaching development made the camp location in Athens untenable, Amy worked to locate and develop property in Habersham County as the new (but still good-ole) Athens YWCO Camp for Girls, and she served as director in its inaugural year and for several summers thereafter.

Following her work with the YWCO, Amy became a realtor, earning “New Face of the Year” designation. Then, using her talent as an artisan and craftsperson in various media—drawing, painting, calligraphy, but most especially needlework—she began her own business, Fabrications, designing and creating draperies, bedspreads, pillows, and other decorative items for homes and businesses. Later she became the housemother for Kappa Delta at UGA.

A smart, warm, funny, caring woman who adored and was adored by people from all walks of life, Amy was actively engaged in her community, serving as rush adviser to Kappa Alpha Theta and as president of the Athens Junior League. She was a member of the Rose and Dahlia Garden Club and especially enjoyed being one of the Crescent Lane Hookers (yes, Hookers!), women who gathered together to hook rugs, wall hangings, and other decorative items. A member of First Presbyterian Church of Athens, she was studying to become a Stephen Minister there when the cancer that took her life made participation impossible.

Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013, Amy underwent extensive surgery and intensive chemotherapy that slowed the advance of her disease and gave her more time with family and friends. She is survived by two sons, their wives, and their children: Jerrol (Jeff) Franklin Nicholson, Jr., his wife, Nanette, and their children, Jackson and Kathryn (Katie), of Atlanta; and Alexander Hargrove Nicholson, his wife, Amy, and their children, Jacob, Crosby, and Lindsay, of Raleigh, NC. She is also survived by cousins Gail Garner McClellan, Bill Carroll (Andrea), John Carroll (Vickie), and Elizabeth Carroll, and by Becky Finney, the best friend and most loving and conscientious caregiver a girl ever had.

A memorial service featuring Amy’s favorite singing group, Athens Voices of Truth, will be held in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, June 10, at 3:00 p.m. Honorary pallbearers will be Greta Bettis, Shirley Chambliss, John Knowlton, Fran Lane, Bobbie Monk, Claire Milton, Carl Nichols, and Ella Stewart. A reception will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, Amy requested memorials to Athens YWCO, 562 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30605, or Athens Pets, P.O. Box 1022, Athens, GA 30603.

Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.