Kathleen Harrington Nicholls

Kathleen Harrington Nicholls, 84, of Stonington, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on August 7, 2025, with her daughter, Jane, by her side at Westerly Hospital, under the care of Hope Health Hospice.

Born and raised in Coffeyville, Kansas, Kathleen's life journey took her to Charleston, South Carolina; St. Louis, Missouri; and Westbrook, Connecticut, before she made her home in Stonington.

The daughter of Louis and Johanna Harrington, Kathleen grew up alongside her younger siblings, Louise and James. She attended Holy Name Catholic School and spent one year away from home at Ursuline Academy in Paola, Kansas, before returning to Coffeyville to graduate from Field Kindley High School.

She furthered her education at Coffeyville Junior College and the University of Kansas, where she met Gilbert Nicholls, whom she married on June 8, 1961, in Coffeyville.

From a young age, Kathleen showed a remarkable talent for sewing. During summers, she took lessons at the local Singer store and won numerous local and state competitions. One highlight was a beautiful blue dress she sewed that earned first place in the Singer Junior Dressmaking Contest. As a prize, she received a commemorative three-piece Singer scissor set-a keepsake she kept throughout her life. A photograph of Kathleen wearing the winning dress remains a beloved family heirloom.

Kathleen was a devoted homemaker who created a warm and loving environment for her family. She was always there for her children each day they came home from school, offering comfort and support. An excellent seamstress, she crafted much of her family's clothing and regularly baked fresh bread, filling their lives with warmth, care, and the comforts of home.

Family was always at the center of Kathleen's heart and the guiding purpose in her life. She took great pride in her role as a homemaker and considered raising her three children to be her greatest accomplishment.

Kathleen possessed a quiet, unassuming intelligence-greater than she may have recognized in herself and more profound than many fully realized. Her sharp mind, curiosity, and resourcefulness were evident in her many accomplishments and in the way she continually embraced learning throughout her life.

She had a natural gift for bookkeeping and often recalled her high school teacher, Mr. Thorpe, saying, "Make a picture [it shows where everything goes]," a principle she embraced and applied throughout her life with care and precision.

Kathleen eagerly sought to live a healthy life. She grew her own vegetables, sprouted her own sprouts, and even fermented her own foods, filling her family's table with wholesome nourishment and love.

She found joy in the natural world around her. Each year, Kathleen looked forward to the return of the ospreys that nested near her home. She delighted in watching them gather twigs from her yard to repair their nest, and their arrival became a cherished sign that spring was on its way.

Those who knew Kathleen remember her gentle spirit and kind heart. Her Godson, Mark, described her as "one of the sweetest-hearted people I'll ever meet."

Kathleen was predeceased by her parents, Louis and Johanna Harrington.

She is survived by her loving husband of 64 years, Gilbert Nicholls; her children, Louis Nicholls and his wife, Hiroyo Nicholls, Elizabeth Nicholls and her life partner, Randy Kelly, and Jane Nicholls; her grandchildren, Joseph and James Nicholls; and her siblings, Louise Taylor and James Harrington.

Though Kathleen is no longer with us, her love, kindness, and gentle spirit remain in the hearts of all who knew her. We will miss her dearly, yet her presence will be felt in every cherished memory and quiet moment.

Funeral services will be held at 11:30am on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at Our Lady of Victory Church, 169 Main St., Ashaway, RI 02804.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly encourages donations to a charity of the donor's choice in honor of Kathleen.