Christine Nichols

Christine Nichols touched the lives of her friends and family with her vibrant, warm spirit and her charming personality. She was an excellent student whose academic marks placed her on the honor roll and earned her a Merit Scholarship. But more importantly, Christine was an excellent friend, daughter, sister, and teacher. Each day she shared her happiness and love for life with the people around her, and her familiar smile will live on in the memories of many.

In the year 1987, just about every house in America had a television, and to many parents’ dismay, youngsters everywhere were tuning into MTV. Ronald Reagan was the President, and his political concerns mainly centered around Iraq and Iran. For Timothy Nichols and his wife Denise England, this year marked a time for celebration. On February 14, 1987, Denise and her brother Andrew welcomed the addition of Christine into their family. She shared her Valentine’s Day birthday with her maternal grandmother.

Christine was the middle of three siblings, with an older brother Andrew and a younger sister named Trena. She loved her family, and they loved her. She was Junior Bridesmaid for her mother's and Scott's wedding. Christine always tagged along with her brother going fishing along the channel. Once, when she was following too closely, he accidentally dropped a hammer and it landed on her head. Likewise, Christine once swung a golf club, hitting Andrew in the head on the backswing. Christine was a cute child, and prior to kindergarten she won a photo contest for her western cowgirl outfit.

In her early school days, Christine was full of energy and happiness. As a preschooler she dreamed of becoming a singer and dancer, and by the third grade she’d come closer to that dream through her status as a cheerleader. She won a big wheels race at Muskegon Mall, and she liked to keep active with her friends by playing softball during elementary school. She also had fond memories of her Grandpa Mark showing her how to shoot a rifle at the cabin.

As Christine grew older, she proved to be a good student with a high school GPA of 3.70. She had perfect attendance one year school, and thus won a $400.00 wager with Grandpa Goyings. An honor roll student in the top ten percent of her class, Christine also thought outside of her textbooks. She was a very independent thinker, and she eloquently put her ideas into words with a dramatic speaking style. Christine was eager for new adventures, and she was excited about attending college next year. She won a Merit Scholarship Award in her senior year and planned to attend Baker College next fall.

Though her teachers certainly loved her, Christine was also popular among her classmates and peers. In her senior year she represented her class as a candidate for homecoming queen. She also gained many friends from her jobs as a lifeguard at Michigan Adventure and as a server at the Whitehall Road Pizza Hut.

At Baker College, Christine planned on majoring in Early Childhood Development, which would help her toward her ultimate goal of becoming a teacher. She was already on that career path in high school. She was a student teacher for a preschool class, where the students all referred to her as “Miss Christine.” For the kids’ enjoyment, Christine created the popular game The Little Green Frog. She touched a lot of young lives through her role as a student teacher, and it was clear that she would go on to make an excellent full-time teacher. After she was finishing at her work station, Christine would always drop by Trena’s lunchroom to say hello.

With the same spirit as her grandma, Christine had a wild, sweet, and often fearless personality. As a result of their similarities, Christine could easily get on her grandma’s nerves at times. For one thing, Christine always did things her own way, and she knew when she had got something over you. She was very out-going and social.

In her spare time, Christine loved to bake and cook. Her favorite foods to make were macaroni and cheese and chicken sandwiches. Her homemade oatmeal, chocolate, and peanut butter no bake cookies were also very popular among family and friends. On the radio she enjoyed listening to the country artist Kenny Chesney. Christine loved the water, dolphins, swimming and sunbathing. Like many girls her age, Christine loved to talk on the telephone.

Christine was very hopeful that good things were coming her way. She was eagerly approaching her eighteenth birthday, which excited her because she’d then be allowed into casinos. She lived her life to the fullest, and never let her fear get in the way of her enjoyment. She enjoyed bungy jumping as well as all the thrill rides at Cedar Point. Most of all, Christine treasured her family and friends, and she cherished all the time that they spent together. She was loved by all who knew her.

Christine will be remembered for her words, “Live your dreams, don’t feel sorry for me, acheive your dreams and just live one day at a time". She will be greatly missed by the many people whose lives she touched.

Christine died on Sunday February 6, 2005. Her survivors include her mother, Denise (Scott) Goyings of Twin Lake; father, Timothy Nichols of Virginia Beach, VA; 1 brother, Andrew Goyings and his girlfriend Jenna, whom Christine thought of as her sister, of Twin Lake; 1 sister, Trena Goyings of Twin Lake; Grandparents, Donna England of Twin Lake, Mark (Jeannie) Goyings of North Muskegon and Wanda Ruel of Wolf Lake; 4 uncles, Dan (Pat) England of Ravenna, Don ( Barb) England of North Muskegon, Doug England of Fruitport and Dennis England of North Muskegon. She is also survived by several cousins. The Celebration of Life Service for Christine will held Wednesday, February 9, 2005 at 3:00 PM from the Heritage Life Story Funeral Home-Achterhoff Chapel, 1751 Peck St. Visitation will be Tuesday 2-4 & 7-9 PM. at the funeral home. Please visit Christine's web page at www.lifestorynet.com where you share a favorite memory of her or order flowers.