Stephanie Nicole (Nichols) Sanders

On Sunday, September 11th, 2022, Nicole Nichols Sanders went to be with her Heavenly Father. Nicole was born on August 1st, 1967, to Jerry Nichols and Randy Loving in Canyon, Texas. She was lovingly raised by Jerry and Randy, as well as by Dan Loving and Barbara Nichols. She was a delightful child and was very rarely in trouble. She was a born and raised Texan, spending her formative years in places like Amarillo, Irving, and her favorite place, Wimberly, with her grandmother, Mimi. She received her Bachelors in Journalism from West Texas A&M and earned her Masters in Education from Abilene Christian University in 2013. 

Above everything, Nicole’s pride and joy were her three daughters, Lauren, Jillian, and Madeline. She was always present for them and had an open-door policy for their friends, making sure everyone was always fed and happy. She always gave really big, wet forehead kisses, just like the worship song that says “heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss.” Nicole had a strong faith in God and raised her daughters to know and pursue Jesus. Everything good and wonderful about her is reflected in her girls, each of them so much like her in different ways. Nicole always made sure her girls knew that she loved them big. 

Nicole’s second biggest impact was on the students she taught over her years of teaching. She left her mark on the lives of more youth than can be counted with her love of art, photography, yearbook, reading, and teaching. She had a special place in her heart for students who were homeless or at risk, making sure they were loved and cared for in and out of her classroom. She leaves behind a legacy of love and light to all of her students. 

Nicole is reuniting with dear family members and friends in Heaven, including her stepfather, Dan Loving, her grandmother, Naomi Holman, her grandmother, Viola Brunikool Nichols, her grandfather Knox Nichols, her grandfather Earl Dean Hopson, and her stepbrother, Blair Loving. She is greatly missed by her family and friends, including her daughter, Lauren Smith, and her husband, Mike Smith, her daughter, Jillian Swanson, and her husband, Robert Swanson, her daughter Madeline Sanders, her mother, Randy Loving, her father, Jerry Nichols, her stepmother, Barbara Nichols, her uncle Hayden Holman, his wife Jinky Holman and their son, Liam Holman, her former husband, Clayton Sanders, and his fiancé Pam McGinty, many step-siblings including the children of her stepfather Dan Loving, and the children of her stepmother Barbara Nichols, Marjorie and Dee Bond, and many other friends and family members.

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