Frances Ellen Nichol

Frances Ellen Nichol

February 3, 1949 – January 12, 2026

Ellen “Cookie” Nichol, 76, of Hamilton, MT, passed away peacefully under God’s mercy with her family by her side on Monday, January 12, 2026, at the City of Hope in Duarte, CA.

Ellen was born in Los Angeles, CA, on Feb 3, 1949, to James and Frances Bryden. She grew up in the Southern California area as the youngest of three children, and at the age of 14 she met the young man who would become her husband of 47 years – Jack. Her ability to keep score at a baseball game caught his attention, and three years later, Ellen was spending much of her senior year at North Torrance High School planning their wedding which took place shortly after graduation. By the age of 23, Ellen was raising three boys and was a couple of years into organizing, running, and decorating their newly built family home in Cerritos.

Ellen was known for her creativity, high family standards and for any project she worked on. In the early years of marriage, her listed occupation on tax returns was “homemaker” which, while technically accurate, was woefully inadequate. She cooked meals from scratch (except on Friday pizza night), washed and reused cloth diapers, made up to four daily sack lunches as the children grew into school age, and hung laundry out to dry before they could afford a dryer. Careful attention was spent clipping and using coupons to keep the pantry stocked, searching for bargains, and shopping the fabric stores for the best deals and patterns from McCalls and Butterick to be used while handmaking clothing for the family. She made sure her kids always won any sort of contest that involved a costume or art project, and that their school/sport/work uniforms were cleaned and cared for.

As a friendly neighbor, team mom, classroom helper, sports fan, and church member, she integrated herself into multiple communities. She opened her home to youth groups staying overnight during church performances. She invited the neighborhood boys to come to church with her sons. Every church event seemed to have a set of centerpieces designed, created, and executed by Ellen and willing church partners – she could do some amazing things with scrap fabric, discarded coke bottles, and Styrofoam. She was the team mom, classroom mom, and high school football team chef for a year. Before the internet and before it was widely accepted, she taught herself about carb loading and made weekly pre-game meals for the entire team. Friendships forged during Sunday School classes at Bellflower Brethren Church led to multi-family camping trips, “adopted” nieces/nephews, lifelong relationships, graduations, weddings, babysitting, and even opening her home for a “niece” or “nephew” during a temporary period of need. She teamed up with some older women at church to lead a Handmaidens ministry, where they taught quilting and crafting and shared wisdom and expertise with some of the younger ladies.

As the family grew up, Ellen continued to volunteer and care for her family and others. She also began to utilize her skills to help provide for family needs and for expensive kids’ activities like ice hockey. She started as playground supervisor at Norwalk Brethren Elementary and eventually became the front office secretary. While working in that capacity, she and a co-worker started the “Secretarial Assistance” company, having taught herself how to use the newfangled invention called a word processor on her latest investment: a Wang computer. She

also served as the wedding coordinator at Bellflower Brethren. Later, she caught on with Isuzu Motors America, eventually becoming Executive Assistant to the President and COO. But her most influential “job” during this time was probably this one as described by a younger woman: “Ellen became a mentor to me when I was a young mom [since] my own mom had left us when I was ten.”

Ellen and Jack retired to Montana in 2003, where they lived until his passing in 2013. She continued to live there afterward as a firmly rooted member of the Hamilton community. It was during these years that she was able to spend more time performing, dancing, opening a dancewear supply company: “Dance Rags”, making costumes for dance studio productions, teaching dance, and serving as wardrobe designer and seamstress to the local community theater. She was a natural performer who loved the theater and was one of those people who could talk her way into almost any place she wanted to be. She hosted community Fourth of July parties on their 5-acre property and worked to keep it in good, working condition – sometimes having to hire out help for work Jack used to do, but also sometimes doing it herself, including climbing ladders and hauling, placing, and re-locating 30-foot-long, 5” diameter metal pasture irrigation pipes during the spring and summer months. In 2016, she bought a home in Seal Beach, CA, and began alternating stays between Southern California and Montana to spend more time with friends and family in CA and to avoid the harshest periods of winter in MT.

Ellen continued to expand her activities and adventures. She traveled abroad with family to England, Ireland, and Scotland, delighting in the chance to explore new places and cultures. Closer to home, she cherished trips with loved ones to Breckenridge, Glacier, Steamboat Springs, and made regular visits to Florida to spend time with family. Never one to pass up an opportunity for fun and connection, she embarked on a river boat tour where she dressed daily in period costume, entertaining both guests and crew with her infectious spirit. Ellen remained active in multiple dance classes, always eager to learn and share her love of movement. She fulfilled a lifelong dream to be part of a movie production when she served as the Wardrobe Supervisor for a period western film, bringing her creativity and attention to detail to every costume on set. Throughout it all, Ellen looked forward to every sports event, especially those featuring her grandchildren, cheering them on with the same enthusiasm and pride she had always shown for her family. Ellen felt equally at home in CA and MT and is now peacefully enjoying her eternal home in Heaven.

Ellen is survived by her three sons, five grandchildren, and one sister.