Dorothy Rebecca Nickels

Dorothy Rebecca Nickels, age 82, a resident of Irvington, Alabama, passed away on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. She is survived by her children, Susan Taylor, Pamela Barbour, Lori (Paul) Lewis, Sherri Bryant and Michael McDonald, siblings, Russell (Lanita) Steiner, Roger Dale Steiner and Carolyn Overstreet, 11 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Margaret's Catholic Church on Friday, July 26, 2019 at 2 pm with visitation from 11 am until service time. Interment will be in Oddfellow Cemetery. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dorothy and Clarence Steiner; her son, Marcus Emmett McDonald; two brothers, Gene and Ronald Steiner; and her husband, Robert “Bob” Nickels. She is survived by her daughters, Susan Taylor, Pamela Barbour, Lori (Paul) Lewis, Sherri Bryant and one son, Michael McDonald; 11 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. One sister Carolyn Overstreet; two brothers, Russell (Lanita) Steiner, Roger Dale Steiner and many other relatives and friends. While in high school Becky served an Azalea Trail Maid and graduated from St. Margaret’s Catholic School Bayou in La Batre, AL in 1955. She married Emmett McDonald at St. Margaret’s Catholic Church that same year. St. Margaret’s holds a special place in the family’s heart. Becky’s parents went to school and were married there as well as most of her brothers and sisters. Becky was blessed with a large family of six children. She worked alongside her husband Emmett in the Seafood Industry, including their family restaurant The Captain’s Quarter, where she made her deliciously famous crabmeat au gratin. One of Becky’s favorite pastimes was cake baking. So many people knew her for the fabulous pound cakes and rum cakes that were made with love. On the morning of her last day with us she said to the anesthesiologists “I make a mean-ass pound cake”. As an artist many of her beautiful paintings hang in the homes of her beloved family, which will be cherished even more now. Becky took pleasure in dancing, especially square dancing and enjoyed playing cards, games, and puzzles with family and friends. She adored her Yorkshire Terrier JW, who slept by her side every, single, night. Those of us who knew Becky, knew that she cherished her Catholic faith and her family above everything else. Her family gave her the greatest joy through the years, and she loved every moment spent with them. She really was the glue that held us all together in faith and love. Mom, we love you and will miss you every single day.

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Dorothy Rebecca Nickels

April 20, 1937 - July 23, 2019