Obituary of Donald Joseph Nickels

Donald Joseph Nickels, 77, of Simi Valley, CA, passed away on November 14, 2014, after a lengthy illness. Visitation and Rosary Vigil will be held at Rose Family Funeral Home, Sunday, November 23, at 7pm. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Monday, November 24 at 10:30 am. Private burial at San Fernando Mission Cemetery will follow Tuesday, November 25. Rose Family Funeral Home is handling the funeral arrangements. Don was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Julian & Stella Nickels on December 19, 1936. After a tour of duty in postwar Korea, Don resumed his job at Ralston Purina in Los Angeles. He moved to Carnation Research Labs/Nestle Company in Van Nuys and remained there over 30 years, transitioning from a lab tech to the Statistics and Data Processing Dept. He was instrumental in the installation of the first IBM mainframe computer for the lab and then eventually upgrading to the PC-based HP3000. He enjoyed coaching his sons’ baseball teams, leading the St. Genevieve High School Parent Booster club, and volunteering at Northridge Hospital. Don is survived by his wife Janet, children Diana & Tim Johnson, David & Amee Nickels, Tom & Jennifer Nickels, grandchildren Tyler, Katie and Matthew Johnson, Gabriella, Derek, Austin and Alexa Nickels, sister Janice & brother-in-law Don Denham. In lieu of flowers, Don requested donations be made to: St. Paschal Baylon School 154 E. Janss Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 In Memory of Don Nickels