Birth date: May 12, 1932 Death date: Sep 23, 2016
Karl Ray Kelly Nicholes, M.D. 1932 - 2016 Karl Ray Kelly Nicholes M.D., PhD passed away on September 23, 2016 due to complications following surgery. He was born May 12, 1932 in St. George Utah to Joseph Kelly and Olive Maiben Ni Read Obituary
Memories of Dadeo
My father was one of the greatest examples of service I have ever known. In my heart and mind, he was the embodiment of the Good Samaritan, and he embodied that service in every aspect of his life.
My father served his fellow man by reaching out to those in need. I remember a time when he came across a young mother and her children broken down on the side of the road and he stopped to help. Not only did he help her get her car to a service station, he paid to have the car repaired, bought dinner for this young woman and her children, paid to put them up in a hotel for the night, and gave them money to see them through to the end of their journey. Another time, my father went to visit with the parent of a boy who had gotten into a fight with my brother and broken his nose. After speaking with this woman and learning of her circumstances, my father later went back and took Christmas to this single mother and her family. Because of his genuine love and caring, this family joined the church and the son with the mean right hook ended up serving an honorable mission. That was the kind of man my father was, he didn’t serve others by giving only a portion of himself, he gave his all.
My father served his country as an Air Force flight surgeon. He then continued that service in his community as an incredible and devoted physician. Again, in this aspect of service, he gave his all. When it came to my dad, the doctor was ALWAYS in. People could call him at all hours and get medical advice for any number of things. And his patients were always a priority to him. I remember a time when he was in bed recovering from a debilitating migraine and one of his patients went into labor. This patient had lost many babies and had had a very difficult hi-risk pregnancy and my father was not about to let her down in her 11th hour. As I remember it, my father pulled himself out of bed, had someone drive him to the hospital, angled the delivery table so that he had the corner of the wall at his back for support, and delivered that baby. I also came across a note just recently from a patient who was thanking him and my mother for coming into his office, not only on a Saturday but on a Sunday as well, to give her the care she needed. My father’s patients never got less than his best.
My father served his family by loving our mother and by loving his children…unconditionally. My father was a true gentleman and treated my mother like a queen. He always opened her door, pulled her chair out for her, complimented and thanked her for every meal she prepared and told her often that she was beautiful and he loved her. He was a great example to his sons of how a man should treat a lady, to his daughters of how they should expect to be treated by a man, as well the importance of good ol’ common courtesy. He worked hard to make it possible for all of his children to have many opportunities and supported us all in every one of them. He also served us by being a worthy priesthood holder and patriarch of our family and used that power to bless our family on a daily basis. He was an incredible example of what it means to live the gospel and to love one another.
In the end, when his mind and body were failing him, my father continued to serve by reminding us that we are all precious, not only in his eyes but in God’s. If you spent any length of time with him at all, you would hear repeatedly, “You are wonderful. I love you,” and you would know without a shadow of a doubt that it was true.
in Mosiah 2:17. 17 we read, “…when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” According to those words, my father served God with every fiber of his being, and I imagine him being welcomed home with open arms and the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I will be forever grateful for the example of service that my father set for me and for the incredible blessing of being his daughter.
Life Sketch Part 2
As debilitating as Alzheimers can be, dad never lost the essence of who he was…a physician, a husband and father, and a good, faithful and humble servant of the Lord.
When dad was in the hospital following surgery a few years ago, we found that pain meds and sedatives made his Alzheimers symptoms worse. As we were sitting by his bed, so concerned with the state he was in, a nurse across the hall called out another patient’s blood pressure. Without missing a beat, my dad called out “NORMAL.” Not only did he give us a good laugh, he reassured us that he was still a doctor to his very core.
As things progressed to the point where dad would sometimes have to be reminded who we were, he still never failed to expound upon what he considered to be our many virtues. A visit would not pass without dad telling us that we were wonderful and that he loved us numerous times. He may not have remembered where he was from moment to moment, but dad never forgot the importance of a husband and father making his wife and children feel loved and valued.
A few weeks before his death, Barb asked dad to give her a father’s blessing before she underwent surgery. We were a little concerned that he wouldn’t be able to remember who he was giving the blessing to, what it was for, and what it was that he was even doing. As he laid his hands on Barbara’s head and started to speak, we were reminded that even if dad ‘s memory wasn’t perfect, his standing as a priesthood holder in the eyes of the Lord was. Dad, with the support and inspiration of a loving Father in Heaven, proceeded to give Barb one of the most pure and beautiful blessings we had ever witnessed. This was just another confirmation to us that dad was still, in essence, himself.
Besides being a great example of hard work and service, dad was the epitome of love unfeigned. He would reach out and talk to anyone and everyone in a genuine effort to make them feel loved and accepted. No matter where we went, dad would strike up a conversation with someone and ask them what the origin of their accent was or where their ancestors came from, or tell them how smart and beautiful or handsome they were. My mom said that she couldn’t take my father shopping with her because he would become so engrossed in telling every baby in the store how beautiful they were that she couldn’t ever leave. Dad often reminded me of the father in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” the one who said, “Give me a word, any word, and I show you that the root of that word is Greek.” Only dad wanted to determine a person’s roots so that he could find a way to show them how they were connected and loved.
Dad left this mortal existence on Friday, September 23, 2016, and he will be sorely missed, but his legacy of love and service will live on in those who were blessed enough to have their lives touched by his. ‘Til we meet again…we love you Dadeo.
Life Sketch Part 1
Our father, Karl Ray Kelly Nicholes, was born in St. George, Utah on May 12, 1932 to Joseph Kelly and Olive Maiben Nicholes. He was the youngest of 9 children. He loved his family and held them in the highest esteem. He often shared stories about how brilliant and talented his parents and siblings were.
In 1933, our father moved with his family to Provo, Utah and spent the next 19 years of his life there. It was here that he met the love of his life, our mother Velyn. According to dad, it was love at first sight. He said, “I was 15 years old and she was 14. Some friends of mine and I were standing in front of the Provo 5th Ward chapel when a tall slender girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, beautiful even white teeth, and gorgeous smile walked past us. I was smitten.” Five years later, on June 4, 1952, mom and dad were sealed in the Salt Lake City temple.
Over the next twenty years, mom and dad adopted their nine children, Joe, Barb, Tom, Kirsten, John, Diana, Olivia, TC, and Matt. During these years there were also a number of moves for both dad’s school and his work.
Dad received his Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and completed medical school at the University of Utah. After interning for a year at the LDS hospital in Salt Lake City, dad entered the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon and moved with Mom and Joe to England. While there, dad served as the Branch President and worked tirelessly and made many sacrifices to bring about the building of the first chapel there. It was during this time that Barb and Tom joined the family.
Upon returning to the states, dad attended both the University of Utah and the University of Minnesota where he earned his PhD in Cardiovascular Physiology. While in Minnesota, he served as bishop, and both Kirsten and John became a part of the family.
1971, dad moved the family to Burley, Idaho where he opened his private practice. We lived there for 6 years and our family continued to grow with the addition of Diana, Olivia and TC.
In 1977, dad decided to return to school at the University of Minnesota to specialize as an Ob-Gyn. Our family spent the next 3 years there and grew from 8 children to 9 with the addition of Matt.
In 1980 dad brought our family back to Utah where he set up a successful practice. Besides becoming an Ob-Gyn, dad also received special training for invitro fertilization and spent many years helping couples achieve the dream of having children. Our father loved his work, and over the years delivered thousands of babies and brought untold joy to as many families.
After 46 years of practicing medicine in a variety of locations, dad retired and spent his remaining years doing what he loved best, spending time with his sweetheart.
Dad found great joy in the beauties of life, from nature where he would hunt and ski to the performing arts such as ballet and the opera. He appreciated art and beautiful music which often made him cry. When asked which songs were his favorites, he said he loved them all and couldn’t pick just one. He would often break into song and serenade my mother with “I Love You for Sentimental Reasons,” or sing “I love you a bushel and a peck to one of his children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren. He was also fond of singing “You are Sixteen Going on Seventeen” to his sixteen-year-old grand-daughters.
Dad also enjoyed a good movie now and then and one of his favorites was “Groundhog Day.” The irony of this as he struggled with Alzheimers over the last six years was not lost on us.
My first conversation with Daddy-e-o, as he called himself was two weeks after I had met Joe. Joe handed me the phone to meet his dad who was still in Minnesota. Kelly's first words to me were "Hullo! I understand you're going to be my future daughter-in-law" This was news to me. :-)
Kelly and Joe had a father-son relationship like no other. They could spend hours talking without even realizing the passage of time. My favorite "argument" of there's was the one where they debated whether a chain link fence should be placed around a fireplace. Oh the conversations father and son are having
now.
The Bastian and Nicholes families joined together when our son Matthew married their daughter Kirsten. Over the 24 plus years we have been in company with each other at sad and happy times. We share 4 granddaughters and a great granddaughter. I always felt comfortable and happy with Velynn and Kelly at our gatherings. They were so gracious and kind to me, especially when my husband Lewis had his accident and passed away 7 years ago. The entire Bastian Family sends sincere condolences to the Nicholes Family.
