Mary “Babe” Nicholson

Mary “Babe” Eileen Nicholson was born in Ellisforde, Washington to Narcisse Nicholson Sr. and Ceclia (Manuel) Nicholson. She passed away at NVEC in Tonasket, Washington on June 2, 2022.

Babe was a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes and Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Tonasket and was active member of the Alter Society. She attended school at the little red school house in Ellisforde and then Tonasket for 7th, 8th and 9th grade. Babe was Colville Business Council woman for Colville Confederated Tribes, she worked at Regal Fruit Apple shed as an apple packer for 40 years, encouraging all her nieces and nephews to get educated, so they wouldn’t have to work like she did.

Babe had a strong Catholic Faith, she was a cattle woman, seamstress – making all her own clothes and clothes for her nieces and nephews and family; she was an avid gardener growing vegetables and fruit and canning all of her harvest including canning meats and making salsa. Her hobbies also included making pine needles baskets, ceramics (bulldogs), playing Bingo all over Okanogan County.

Babe loved animals, cattle, horses, dogs, especially bulldogs, and cats (she made them their own “cathouse.” She loved her carnations and hollyhocks, lilacs planted around her home. She also loved listening to country music like Ferlin Huskey, Faron Young, Ray Price and Ernest Tubbs, as she cleaned house.

Blue was her favorite color, she had blue everything; her blue leather furniture, blue carpet, blue walls, blue clothes (that she made), blue pine needles baskets that she won grand champion at the Okanogan County Fair with, blue knick-knacks and blue cars, like her blue VW Bug and blue Thunderbird.

Babe had 14 siblings: George, Joe, Ellen Abeita, Narcisse Jr., Eddie, Albert “Billy”, Millie-Jean Rollins, Elizabeth “Tiny” Breiler, Joyce Adkinson, Chrissy Hutton, Alec, Johnny, Richard and Raymond.

Babe is survived by her sister, Elizabeth “Tiny” Breiler and numerous nieces and nephews. Babe raised her younger brothers and helped raise several nieces and nephews, including Alec, Clint and Lisa.

A funeral was held June 7, 2022 at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Tonasket, Washington.

River Valley Funeral & Cremation of Okanogan cared for the arrangements.