Catharine Burkhart Nichols

Catharine Burkhart Nichols, 85, passed away May 27 at First Community Village surrounded by her family. Born Catharine Louise MacDonald on July 21, 1924 in Canton, China to Mabel (Drury) and Wilfrid MacDonald, where her father taught at Lingnan University. Completing high school at Shanghai American School in 1941, she studied Botany at Swarthmore College before receiving a BA in Sociology from Ohio State University in 1945. Married in 1944 to William E. Burkhart MD (son of the late Dr. Roy A. and Hazel Burkhart), she was widowed in 1967. In 1969, she married Charles Z. Nichols. She raised her family in Grandview Heights, living there for 50 years, until moving to First Community Village in 2001. Member of First Community Church for 65 years, Cathie was active in choir, Couples Circles and various service ministries. Maintaining a lifelong interest in Chinese language, culture, and food, she befriended many Chinese students and families. Through the FCC Mission Council, she acquired a large extended family among the refugee community. A passionate gardener and lover of the outdoors, she worked in landscaping, and enjoyed time at Camp Akita and the family retreat in Ontario, Canada. A devoted wife and mother, she inspired family and friends with her unconditional love and acceptance of people of varied backgrounds and faiths. Preceded in death by her parents and her sisters Jean Thomas and Ruth Rose, she is survived by her husband of 41 years, Charles Z. Nichols of Upper Arlington, OH and sister Margaret Getaz of Swarthmore, PA and her children: Ellen (Michael) McCain of Griffin, GA; Karolyn (Gordon) Burkhart-Schultz of Castro Valley, CA; Nancy (Yehudah) Lowy of Columbus, OH; David (Chris Holmes) Burkhart of Bloomington, IN and Robert (Dana) Nichols of Worthington, OH; and grandchildren: Jonathan, Kelly, and Wendy McCain; Rahel (Block), Yaakov, Raphael, Elisheva, and Ovadya Lowy; Joseph and Rebekah Burkhart; Sally and Ben Nichols; and 4 great-grandchildren: Timothy Edmonds; Eliyahu and Yaakov Block, and Devora Lowy.A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am, Saturday, June 12, at First Community Church, 1320 Cambridge Blvd. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Catharine's honor to the First Community Church Foundation, Deep Griha Society c/o FCC, World Neighbors (wn.org), and the China Connection (chinaconnection.org).

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