Margaret was born and raised in a small farming community in central Michigan, not far from Lake Huron. She grew up on a traditional farm with her parents and six siblings (Yvonne, Richard, Geraldine, Maxine, Jannette, and Thomas). Along with corn, wheat, and navy beans, her father raised dairy cows and chickens. She used to say it took her years to eat chicken as an adult because every Sunday her father would butcher one on the farm.

While her parents did not go to college themselves, they encouraged education for their children. Margaret earned a teaching degree from Central Michigan University and a masters in Education from Michigan State, with a special interest in history. In truth, she never stopped learning. She was a voracious reader of all types of literature. And she loved learning the stories of everyone she met. She especially loved meeting people from far-away places; she would ask questions about their homes, their habits, their foods and culture. Her disarming smile and obvious interest in others let her have lengthy talks with anyone. No one stayed a stranger for long.

Margaret was always moving. In fact, anyone who met her quickly learned she never stayed still for long. She adored travel. She loved visiting her daughters as they moved from state to state and country to country. She crisscrossed the US with her Michigan friends to go skiing or kayaking, or biking. She was a first-rate ballroom dancer and an avid fan of her grandchildren's activities, wherever or whatever they might be.

Margaret's opportunities to meet new people and have new experiences expanded once she retired from Michigan State University. Almost immediately, she moved to California. She said it was to be near her daughters, but we knew it was really the grandkids. It was in San Diego that she joined the Rockers. Here she met a like-minded group of people who shared her love of adventure. With her Rocker friends, she visited countries on six of seven continents, including the Easter Islands, China, India, Costa Rica, and too many more to list. She also found very dear support during the lock-down of Covid, when she and her friends would take safely-distanced bike rides or have picnics on the beach. She was fortunate to enjoy her friends and activities up until a few days before she died.

Margaret Jean Nicholas (née Furtaw) passed away peacefully in her sleep. She is survived by her daughters Lisa (Jean-Luc) and Erin (Mike) and her grandchildren Isabelle, Ella, and Teddy.