Philip Daniel "Dan" Nichols

Dan peacefully crossed over to Glory Land Sunday January 25 at 10:23 am (his birthday is 10/23) while we were singing How Great Thou Art, his mother’s favorite song

Dan is now singing Hallelujah & Rejoicing with his Lord and Savior . Dan is enjoying the Best Family Reunion Ever in Heaven - Family has always been Important - Family First!

Born in Mantua, Ohio in a barn with sheets to divide the rooms. His Grandma Fairbee, Sister Martha and the Horse Doctor delivered Dan. The family moved to Moss Grove (Centerville) Pennsylvania when Dan was 2 weeks old. Born to Grant & Bessie Nichols, the youngest of 12 children.

Dan has been reunited in Heaven with his parents Grant & Bessie Nichols, his siblings Ruth, Mary, Martha and her husband Howard, Bernard (Buck) and his wife Grace, Betty and her husband Harold, Richard (Dick), James (Jim) and his wife Dorothy, William, Charles (Charlie), Leroy, Fred and his wife Leona and the love of his life of almost 57 years DeAnna (Dee).

We can only imagine what Heaven will be like when we reunite with Dan who is leaving behind his son Grant and wife Jina, daughters Jody and husband Howard and Cindy and husband Lee. Dan has seven grandchildren Carrie and husband Joel, Bradley and wife Jill, Matthew and wife Bree, Brittany and husband Ben, James, Amanda and Emily. Dan has 13 great-grandchildren Braylen, Relena, Launa, Brynleigh, Demi, Mason, Leddy, Beau, Sammy, Claire, Archer, Stella and Toby. Two Sister-in-Laws, Mary Jean Nichols and Carolyn Nichols and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Dan has always been a hard worker. Dan started driving the tractor at 4 years old, racing cars at 6 years old and hunted for the first time at 10 years old, bringing home a Rabbit and Pheasant for Dinner. Dan grew up on the farm and was outstanding in all his fields. Farmer – Hay, Wheat, Corn & Oats –fed the cows then sold the rest. Regularly used Tractor, Combine, Bailer, Wagon, Plow, Disc, Drain Drill, Mowing Machine, Rake and Corn picking by hand – Also made some extra money working with the neighbors. Dan was a regular Calf Wrestler starting at 9 years old and sister-in-law Mary did the Milking. Dan began doing all the milking of the 40 cows at 13 years old and after supplying all the brothers & their family’s milk; then sold the leftover milk to the Dairy Farm in Cambridge Springs. Also, a Potato Farmer with brother-in-law earning $10 a day

The Assembly of God Church started in the Family’s Barn and later his family built the Church. starting with the basement and eventually finishing the building. Dan’s oldest sister Martha would do the preaching when there wasn’t a preacher. Dan had an awesome upbringing in the Lord. Dan knew the Bible and loved the Lord.

Dan started school in a one room schoolhouse in Moss Grove until 5th grade when he started riding the bus to Townville. Dan got his driver's license in October 1956 and graduated Townville High School in May 1957 at the age of 16. After graduation Dan decided to move to the Great Lakes near Detroit Michigan from November 1957 – February 1958 and lived with his brother Buck and sold bread and cakes until all the 3 Big Car Plants went on strike sending him home to Pennsylvania. Dan joined the Navy on April 22, 1958, out of Norfolk, Virginia and was assigned to the Ship Thuban; which is a cargo ship where he worked as an Electrician and spent a lot of time in Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic. The closest to war was the Cuban Missile Crises. The first time Dan heard a plane break the sound barrier,; all the sailors hit the deck, thinking they were either bomb or shot. The Admiral was laughing that he had a bunch of brave sailors.

Dan met the love of his life DeAnna Francis Callahan on Groundhog Day February 2, 1961.

The temperature was 40 below 0 when Dan picked up Dee for their Blind Date. Dan’s niece Ruth Ann set up the date and there was a total of 3 couples. The evening started at the movies watching Misfits, Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe’s last movie before they died. They finished the evening at the Bowling Alley, where Dee won the first game and Dan won the second game (his bowling ball never hit the lanes until it reached the pins). Dan and Dee wrote letters to each other (pen pals) while he was out at Sea. Dan would come back to Pennsylvania every chance he could get to go out on dates with Dee. After Dan’s enlistment ended on March 22, 1962, he came back to Pennsylvania and started looking for work, and decided to go to school in Chicago, Illinois at DeVry starting in November. Dan’s proposal to Dee was, “Would you like to get married and take care of me while I go to school?” She replied, “That would be just DanDee.” Then he told her, “After that I’ll take care of you the rest of your life, and you can stay home.” On November 10, 1962, Dan & Dee married at the Justice of Peace in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The Nichols family gave them a wedding reception and Dan & Dee sat at the kid’s table. That evening, they left for Chicago, Illinois. The two of them had to get used to all the people because Titusville only has about 6000 people compared to hundreds of thousands in Chicago.

While going to DeVry Dan worked part time with UPS and a Steel Company. During their time in Chicago their son, Grant Nichols, was born on March 25, 1964. Grant came home from the hospital on Easter and Dan carried him on a pillow up the three flights of stairs, afraid he was going to break him. After graduating in May 1964, they packed everything up and moved back to Pennsylvania. Dan started working at the GE Plant in Erie. Dan continued looking for a job in the electronic field and, after lots of interviews, was hired by IBM in Kingston, New York, August 1965. The family relocated to New York and lived there until March 1968. Dan was offered a transfer to Texas but had to wait a couple of months for Jody to be born. Jody was 16 days old when they moved to Euless, Texas. Texas has been their home ever since. After moving to Texas their youngest Cynthia (Cindy) was born on Valentines Day 1969. Dee said to Dan we can’t move anymore, or we will have another baby. The family found a church shortly after moving to Texas; The First Assembly of God in Euless and went there until Easter 2003. (35 Years) Jody invited Dan & Dee to start going to Life Fellowship Church of God in Hurst and that’s been home ever since.

Dan and Dee in their younger years spent time together Bowling with friends from IBM. Dee also was on a league with her PTA friends. Mostly what kept them busy was raising their children. Every summer the family looked forward to their 2-week vacation which started around July 4th. The Fourth of July was one of our favorite holidays. Most summers were spent in Pennsylvania visiting with all the relatives. Dan really loved Family Reunions, it’s always family first. We also visited, just to name a few, several places in Texas, Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands in New Mexico. As a family we also visited the Grand Canyon, Arizona; Pikes Peak and Royal Gorge in Colorado; Hole in the Rock Utah; Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming; Mount Rushmore, South Dakota; Hershey, Gettysburg and the Poconos in Pennsylvania; Niagara Falls, New York City, Boston and all the New England States as well as Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The family spent a few summers in New York and Georgia because of IBM training. Dan, Dee and the family took a Cruise to Alaska to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2012. That’s just to name a few adventures. The only state that Dee and Dan had not visited was Hawaii. At the 2023 Nichols Family Reunion, Dan was able to have a large part of his Texas clan with him. In September 2025 Dan joined the VIP (Classics) Church group on the Branson Trip to see the King David show at Sight & Sound Theatre and the Dolly Parton Stampede Dinner & Show with all his children with him, which made him ecstatic.

Dan’s Big 85th Birthday Party was held in the church gym with around 50 guests and lots of delicious food. Dan shared lots of stories and jokes.

Dan cherished the greatest blessing and miracle from God: The love of his life Dee, Three Awesome Children and their spouses, Seven Amazing Grandchildren and 13 Adorable Great Grandchildren. Dan’s salvation story is that he has been a Christian all his life but if you ask him, he will respond “I am a Sinner”.

Dan retired from IBM in June 1993 and bragged that IBM had been paying him longer to stay home. Dan started his next career working at the Moving Company his son Grant started in 1983, where Dan would help on Fridays & Saturdays. Dan went to the DMV and took the written & driving test for his CDL. He loved being a Truck Driver/Mover and traveling the United States. Sometimes Dan just had to haul cars, and, on those trips, Dee would go with him. Dan worked for the moving company until 2016.

Dan always had lots of stories, and this is just a brief history of Philip Daniel Nichols’ Life. Although it was brief, he will leave a lasting impression on our hearts. Dan, someday we will all be together again in Heaven having the biggest Family Reunion ever.