Sandra J. Nickum

Sandra J. Nickum, daughter of Fred E. (Gene) Casteel and Virginia (Shroyer) Casteel passed away at her home on September 24th 2014.

She is survived by David G Nickum (husband), David E. Nickum (son), Gina M. McDaniel (Daughter), Bobby and Ronnie Casteel (brothers) and their families; both of Shawnee, Kansas.

Sandy was born in Kansas City, Missouri on June 21st 1942. She was a loving, caring, proud and devoted daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

She attended Argentine High School in Kansas City, Kansas and later married her husband, Colonel (Retired) David G Nickum on April 18th, 1959 and they remained best friends through the 55 years of their marriage, traveling the country to support her husband in the Army. She “pinned” on each and every badge of rank when he was promoted, except for the grade of Captain. He was serving as an Army Aviator and Unit Commander in the Republic of Vietnam at that time and the army refused to send her to Viet Nam for the promotion. She did, however, get to share a week of “rest and relaxation” in Hawaii with David at the middle of his tour.

Sandy's greatest joy was her family. Her smile and her laugh were infectious and she brought joy to everyone she knew. As an animal lover, she adored little pink pigs and had a strong love for dogs; never meeting a dog she didn’t like.

She adored the holidays, decking out her house, especially on Christmas. She would shower her kids and grand kids with gifts and loved nothing more than to watch them get excited on Christmas morning or search for their personalized baskets on Easter. She spent countless hours cleaning and preparing for holiday meals and never sat down until everyone else had been taken care of. When her grand kids were young she would devote an entire "spoiled rotten day" to each one and let them choose anything they wanted to do. She would be as adventurous as she needed to be to see them have fun, even breaking a rib while trying to roller skate in her 50’s.

She was known for always sitting on the floor with the kids, using the excuse that it was “more comfortable” on the floor.

She would never let anyone come or go without a hug and a kiss and would greet everyone with a “hi baby”.

Her favorite color was yellow, which fit her bright and happy personality; although she did love to be dressed sleekly in black and white. Her favorite flowers to go along with her personality were white and yellow daisies.

She had an incredibly fun, down to earth sense of humor and was great at making anyone feel comfortable enough to be themselves around her.

Sandy loved listening to loud dance music, especially the 1950’s kind (like Bill Haley and the Comets and Elvis) in her Pontiac Firebird.

She never liked the idea of getting old, always saying in all seriousness that she never wanted to be disabled or dependent. She will be remembered for her young and lively spirit.

On July 19 she became critically ill, but she became well enough to have two more months to spend surrounded by family who loved her and she was able to see her granddaughter’s wedding that she had so greatly anticipated. Loving and generous beyond belief, she always managed to put others first. She always had a smile on her face and ready for a big hug. She loved her family so dearly and took every opportunity to show us her love. If she could say one thing to all of us right now it would be “Don’t cry baby, we will see each other again one day”. She will forever be our Sandy, our family “glue”…now an angel on our behalf.

A Celebration of Life will be held at The Living Waters Church, 115th and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, Kansas on Saturday, October 11th, beginning at 2:00 PM. . If you would like to make a donation in her honor, her favorite charity was the Great Plains SPCA, a “no kill animal shelter”. Donations can be made at www.greatplainsspca.org, or at 5428 Antioch Drive, Merriam, Kansas 66202, phone number (913) 831-7722.