Death: Carol Nicolai Obituary – In the town of Vici, Oklahoma, on July 14, 1932, Carol Mae (Carman) Nicolai was born to her parents, Arthur and Sylva (Clark) Carman. In the year 2024, she passed away on Saturday, March 30th, at the Homestead in Weatherford, Oklahoma. She was 21 years old. She received her diploma from Camargo High School and went on to study at Oklahoma A&M University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. At the Etna Wesleyan Church on February 1, 1953, she and Otto Nicolai, Jr. exchanged their vows and became husband and wife.
They had previously resided in Oklahoma City and El Reno before relocating to Geary in order to become farmers. She assisted Junior on the farm and was responsible for the upbringing of their children. Her favorite activities included sewing, playing games, and cooking homemade bread, strawberry jam, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and oatmeal cookies, all of which she routinely gave to her neighbors. Moreover, she was well-known for the chicken that she deep-fried. The later years of Carol’s life were spent learning to play the piano, which she enjoyed doing.
Carol was a member of Etna Wesleyan Church, where she enjoyed teaching Sunday School for a number of years. During that time, a number of the children who attended the church referred to her as “Grandma.” As a mother and grandma, she was a beautiful person. It was her parents, Arthur and Sylva Carman, as well as her husband, Otto Nicolai, Jr., her daughter, Marcella Cowan, her son-in-law, John Hedrick, her grandkids, Chad and Carman Hedrick, and her siblings, Marion, Leo, Walter, and Charles Carman, all passed away before her.
She is survived by three children, Carolyn Cowan and husband Craig of Fay, Marilyn Watkins and husband Scott of Waldron, AR, and Fred Nicolai and wife Cindy of Geary; eight grandchildren, Jason Watkins and wife Lori of Nolensville, TN, Jerrod Cowan and wife Tara of Watonga, OK, Kristen Cowan of Bethany, Heather Northrip and husband Tommy of Weatherford, Paul Watkins and wife Abbey of College Grove, TN, Jessica Jarrett of Bartlesville, Ben Nicolai and wife Alyssa of Geary, and Katie Hatfield and husband Colton of Fay; 27 great grandchildren; siblings, Everett Carman of Woodward, OK, Jean Bochow of Stuttgart, Germany, Mary Hardesty of Kingston, OK, Tom Carman of Camargo, and Robert Carman of Weatherford, OK; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.
