Don “Doc”  Nickerson, Oakwood Memorial Park, Ottawa IL

By August 8, 2017Obituaries

Don “Doc”  Nickerson, 92, of Ottawa, died Tuesday morning, August 1, 2017, at Pleasant View in Ottawa.  Funeral services will be at 3 p.m. on Monday, August 7, in the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa, with the Rev. Duane Kaufman,  officiating.  Interment will be in the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum in Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa where full military rites will be conducted by the American Legion Post 33 Veteran’s Group Honor Guard.  Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until the services on Monday.

 Dr. Nickerson was born on April 5, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan, to Ralph R. and Ivy (Morton) Nickerson.  He served in the Army Air Corps as a Ball Turret Gunner during WWII, flying 38 bombing missions on a B-24 Liberator with the 376th Bomb group,  He received his. B. S. from Iowa State University, and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State University.  He operated his own veterinary practice in Marseilles for 30 years until his retirement. He married Marvel Arlette Johnson on September 3, 1948 at Christ Episcopal Church in Ottawa.  She died on June 8, 1997, “Doc” was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, a member of the American Legion, and a life member of the Ottawa VFW.  He was a member of the Ottawa Elks Lodge, and a member of Occidental Lodge 40, AF and AM.  He volunteered more than 6,700 hours at OSF St. Elizabeth Hospital (Community Hospital of Ottawa).

 He is survived by children, Jane Robinson, of Sarasota, FL, Donald Nickerson, Jr. of Sarasota, Fl, and Mary (Jeff) Kiper, of Marseilles, 1 grandson, Jason Aubry, and 1 great-grandson, Patrick Aubry, 2 brothers, Warren (Sandy) Nickerson, of Cape Cod, and Roy (Connie) Ferguson, of the State of Washington, and his companion Phyllis Riordan, of Ottawa.

Doc has been laid to rest in the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Peace.