Ann Nichols

Helen “Ann” Hawkins Nichols passed away on February 5, 2024 at the age of 87. She was born on April 25, 1936 to Seth Thomas Hawkins and Verna Severe Hawkins. She was raised in Boise, Idaho, where she graduated from Boise High School in 1954 before attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

She married Alvin “George” Nichols in the Idaho Falls Temple on August 31, 1956, and settled in Pocatello, Idaho, where George worked for the Idaho Fish and Game Department.

In 1962, George and Ann relocated to Clearfield, Utah, where they opened Hawkins Red Steer Drive-In, as an expansion of the Hawkins family chain of restaurants in Idaho.

In 1968, the family moved to Roy, Utah. They attended the Roy Third Ward (now Municipal Ward) where George served as bishop and Ann quietly stood by his side and served friends and neighbors in the background, all while caring for six busy children.

They later became involved in owning and managing Dairy Queens in northern Utah, including the Ogden Mall, Layton Mall, Roy, and Centerville. Their DQ in Centerville was an iconic gathering place in the community.

In 2002, they moved to Syracuse, Utah. After their retirement, they served as hosts at the Conference Center in Salt Lake, and enjoyed time at their cabin in Island Park, Idaho. George passed away unexpectedly in 2006, just weeks before their 50th wedding anniversary.

In 2014, she decided to downsize and live closer to some of her children, by moving to Centerville, Utah. Her favorite place was with her family. The children and grandchildren loved going to the family cabin where she treated them to ice cream in West Yellowstone and made her famous French toast.

Ann is survived by four sons, two daughters, and their spouses: Greg (Kim) Nichols, Mike (Jan) Nichols, Tim (Stacie) Nichols, Julie (Scott) Thompson, Becky (Mark) Roundy, and Kirk (Amanda) Nichols, twenty-four grandchildren, and twenty-eight great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, brothers, Gilman, Earl, Floyd, Clair, Reed, Grover, and Ted Hawkins and their spouses, as well as her grandson, Kyle Nichols, and two great-grandchildren, Jovie Brower and Huck Thompson.

A viewing will be held on Friday, February 9, from 6:00-8:00 pm at Myers Mortuary, 5865 S 1900 W, Roy, Utah. There will also be a viewing from 9:30-10:30 am prior to the funeral at 11:00 am on Saturday, February 10, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 650 N 400 W, Centerville, UT, with interment at the Syracuse City Cemetery.

A recording of Ann’s funeral will also be available on the website soon after the funeral service is complete.