Veda Rhea Nicholson Nichols

Veda Rhea Nicholson Nichols died February 8 in Houston, Texas. Born September 4, 1932, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she was the daughter of Neva Rowsey Nicholson and Cline Lowell Nicholson. She is survived by her best friend and husband of 64 years, Buford Nichols, Jr.; her daughters and their spouses, Elizabeth Nichols-Kelloff and Mitchell Kelloff of Lansing, Kansas; Susan Pryor and Robert Pryor of Galax, Virginia; and Carol Thomas and H. Victor Thomas of Houston, Texas. Her surviving grandchildren are Neva Shoemaker, Nick Kelloff, Christopher Pryor, Shannon Pryor, Timothy Pryor, Jason Thomas, and Kelly Thomas. She is also survived by her sister Ann Smith of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Veda graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She earned her Master of Public Health from the University of Texas. She was instrumental in establishing the USDA Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Veda’s research while at the Center led to decreased mortality in malnourished infants.

Veda enjoyed spending time with her family. She loved traveling, reading, and spending summers in Colorado. The family extends their gratitude to Veda’s caregivers, Gloria Rodriguez and Magdalena Cano, as well as the workers at Brazos Towers.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Monday, February 12, at Willow Meadows Baptist Church, 4300 W. Bellfort Blvd., Houston, TX. Memorials may be designated to Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine,

https://connect.bcm.edu/SSLPage.aspx?pid=456, or to

Willow Meadows Baptist Church World Missions.