After graduating from Hoisington High School, she earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Kansas State University. She married Larry M. Nicholson on July 26, 1964, and they raised their family in Hays. Nicholson began teaching in Manhattan, Kansas, and also taught in Rolla, Missouri, before returning to the Hays School District in 1988 as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, working with students across grade levels until 2008.
In retirement, she pursued bridge and continued community ties through organizations including the Kansas State Alumni Association, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the BQ Chapter of PEO in Hays, and Kappa Delta Sorority. She was also a longtime supporter of K-State Wildcats football.
Visitation is scheduled for Sept. 3, 2026, in Hoisington, with a funeral service on Sept. 4 at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home; burial will follow in Hoisington Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Dr. Larry & Celia Nicholson Undergraduate Research Opportunity Award.