Gloria "Goya" Jean Nichols

It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Gloria Jean Nichols, Née Gómez, on January 29th, 2025. She was a source of love and light to all who knew her. Born in Phoenix at St Joseph’s Hospital on April 21, 1950, the fifth of six children to Antonio and Sophia Gómez, she was given the name Gloria Jean after a nun had suggested it to her mother.

She grew up in the Chula Vista neighborhood in Phoenix and attended Sierra Vista grade school and South Mountain High School. She often reminisced on her childhood, cherishing her visits to her grandmother’s house in the Golden Gate neighborhood, with her parents, brothers and sisters and playing with her cousins.

After her schooling, she followed her sisters to the bay area of California, where, on a fateful road trip to see a concert in Oregon, she met the love of her life, Matthew Wayne Nichols. They were soon married and settled in San Jose, California where they started a life and family together. After a few short years, they decided to move to Phoenix, where she would live the rest of her life.

Gloria was a devoted housewife or as she was wont to say, “Domestic Engineer.” She loved every minute of being a stay-at-home mom until she became an empty-nester, and her husband retired and was more underfoot than not. She then decided to join the workforce and spent many years working for the Maricopa County Elections Department, retiring in 2016. She made many friends at the county and loved being a part of the democratic process.

Gloria was a flower child of the sixties and she embodied peace and love. She loved music and could name almost any song after a few notes. If a song had a dance associated with it, she could tell you what is was called and would jump up and show you how the moves went. Her musical love above all else was the Beatles. She would tell the story of seeing them for the first time on the Ed Sullivan show and how she had her face an inch from the T.V. screen and screamed in delight the whole time as her family looked on and laughed at the silly teenager.

Gloria was full of unconditional love, had a great strength of spirit and was beyond compare in her compassion towards others. She poured her spirit into gardening, cooking and everyone around her. Her kind heart and gentle soul made her a "second mom" to many.

Being her father’s daughter, she was a sports fan, supporting Arizona teams, especially the AZ Cardinals and ASU football.

Gloria is survived by her son, Cy M. Nichols, and loving nieces and nephews and a large extended family in Arizona and California. She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, M. Wayne Nichols, her parents, Tony and Sophia, brothers, Albert, Tony Jr. and Pete, and sisters, Gracie Townzen and Irene Cuesta.

“I love you to the moon and back!”

A Visitation will be held Thursday, February 13th, 2025, 5pm to 8pm with a Rosary starting at 6pm at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E Indian Schools Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85018.  A Memorial Mass will be held at 10am on Friday, February 14th, 2025, at St. Francis Xavier Church, 4715 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85012, with interment to follow directly after at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, 2033 N. 48th St., Phoenix, AZ 85008.