Shirley Lee Nichols

Shirley Lee Korte Nichols of Lady Lake, Florida died on March 11, 2016 at the age of 95. She was born on November 3, 1920 in Denver, Colorado. She was preceded in death by Harvey Nichols, her husband of 44 years, in 2009 and by her first husband, Tom Korte and her son Tom, in 1959. She is survived by daughters Anne Nichols Hayden, Nancy Nichols Perk and Jane Nichols Gutschenritter (Chris), and four grandsons: Lee Gutschenritter, Peter Gutschenritter, John Perk (Atlanta, Georgia) and Christopher Gutschenritter (Chicago, Illinois).

Shirley grew up in Belton, Missouri and was raised by her mother, Cleda Childs. From her earliest years, she was interested in all types of sports and demonstrated abilities on the basketball and tennis courts. While attending Belton High School, she participated in the chorus, band, theater, basketball and tennis and won awards in singing and speech and lettered in both basketball and tennis for three years. She was named to the Beltonian Hall of Fame in 2004 and was nominated by her classmates of the Class of 1938.

While attending the University of Kansas City in 1938 and 1939, she won the Junior Girls’ Championship tennis tournament in Kansas City, Missouri on the Plaza Courts. She left school in 1940 to marry Tom Korte in August of that year. During their marriage, Tom’s educational career led him to become the Superintendent of the Rock Creek Schools in Independence and they had a son, Tom. In 1959, both Tom and their son died in a carbon monoxide accident at their cabin at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Following their deaths, Shirley worked as a secretary in the Kansas City school district and then in the Independence Health department.

In 1965, she married Harvey Nichols, Vice-President of Altman-Singleton who had four daughters: Anne, Nancy, Jane and Susan (who died in a boating accident in 1976). In addition to enjoying square dancing and bowling together, Shirley joined Harvey on the golf course. She developed a passion for golf and played until she was almost 90.

Throughout her life, Shirley continued to excel at whatever she did. While she dropped tennis for many years, she started playing again when in her 70’s with women 15 to 25 years her junior. In 2003 she won the Florida State Senior Games Gold Medal for women 80 and above. Starting that year and continuing for 6 years, she played in the Nancy Lopez Adventures in Movement Charity Golf Tournament held in The Villages, Florida. During that time, she became a favorite of the tournament staff and of Nancy Lopez and the other golf professionals who played in the tournament – including Chris DeMarco and Lisollete Newman – who told her “I hope I can hit the ball like that when I’m your age.”

Shirley met her first computer in the mid-1990’s and quickly mastered it. She enjoyed designing and printing greeting cards and bookmarks and was frequently asked to produce invitations and programs for various groups. She was a wonderful friend and correspondent, keeping in touch with many of her high school classmates and friends from the many phases of her life.

During the last 5 years of her life, she experienced declining health and memory issues and became a resident of Lexington Park in Lady Lake, Florida where she became a favorite resident and received outstanding care. Even though she experienced many tragedies in her life and coped with chronic back pain for many years, she continued to move forward, demonstrating energy and persistence that continually amazed her friends and family.

Contributions in her memory may be made to AIM for the Handicapped, 945 Danbury Road, Dayton, Ohio, 45420.

Arrangements under the direction of Mt Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, Kansas City, MO.