Dr. Patricia Y. Nickell PhD

Lexington, KY Mary Patricia Pat Nickell passed away (or, according to her grandson Sam, became one with the Force) on March 6, 2017, after a long fight with leukemia. Pat was born in Lexington, daughter of the late Julian Ashbrook Young and Goldie Bell Young. She married her college sweetheart, William H. Nick Nickell Jr., in 1966. For Pat, the world was a schoolhouse, a place to learn and teach in equal measure. Through her open mind and inquisitive nature, deep faith and keen intelligence, quick wit and unshakable devotion, she left an indelible imprint on a generation of school children as well as friends, family and anyone who had the pleasure to know her. Born in an age when womens professional options were limited, Pat combined her dedication to education with strong ambition. While working as a schoolteacher (at Southern, Cassidy and Mill Creek elementaries) and raising two teenage boys she earned her Masters and PhD from the University of Kentucky. She became an administrator in Fayette County Public Schools, working in several positions. Passionate about civic and social issues, she became deeply involved in the National Council of Social Studies, serving as president from 1996-1997. Pat coauthored the NCSS Social Studies standards, Expectations of Excellence, as well as We The People, an elementary social studies textbook series published by Houghton-Mifflin and used still by schools nationally. She finished her career as a professor of education in the Department of Social Science at the University of Georgia. Pat had many families. She revered her big sister Carolyn, who was with her from her first breath to her last; she raised two boys, Joe and Alan, who today carry forward her easy smile and unquenchable curiosity; and she was a hilarious playmate to her three adoring grandchildren, Lily, Julian and Sam. In her early adult years she and Nick became active in the Crestwood Christian Church WHO Group, a clan of friends who remain in daily contact today: Jean and J.T. Begley, LaVece and Glen Hughes, Rita and John Lauderdale, Mary and Jim McMurray, Sharon and Ken Perry, Judy and Richard Stuckey, Suzie and Don Wakefield, and others. In later years she became immersed in the Maxwell Street Presbyterian family, where she worshipped with her BFF Kay Roberts and goddaughter Claire, her former landlord turned great friend Rusty Haydon, and many others. Pats mothers late marriage transformed already close friendships into step-family bonds that were as close as any blood relations. She gathered an army of friends through her mah jongg, sewing and book groups, as well as her rowdy discussions of politics on Facebook. The day she died she received a bouquet of roses from an old high school sweetheart. Pat is survived by her sister, Carolyn Hisel (Alan), Nicholasville; two sons, Joseph A. Nickell, Missoula, MT, and Alan Nickell (Glenda), Austin, TX; three grandchildren, Lily E Nickell, Julian A Nickell, and Samuel Alan Nickell; nephews Dan (Jennifer) and Matthew Hisel; niece Elizabeth A. Shelton (Jim); and a beloved host of relatives by marriage including Beverly, Frank, Carrie and Lisa Woods; Janet, Jerry, Jonathan and Jeff Hall; and Kathy Sturman. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband Funeral Information A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 11, 2 p.m. at Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church, 180 E Maxwell St., Lexington, followed by a dinner.