Pastor Allan K. Nickell Obituary (1933

Let Us Pause To Honor the Memory of Pastor Allan K. "Sonny" Nickell Pastor Allan K. "Sonny" Nickell, age 83, of Madison, Indiana entered this life on July 24, 1933 at Murphy Fork in Morgan County, Kentucky. He was the loving son of the late Victor and Martha Murphy Nickell. He resided in Morgan County until the age of 13 when he moved to Lexington where he later graduated from Henry Clay High School. After high school, he was inducted into the United States Navy and served in the Korean War. Allan was honorably discharged and returned home to attend the University of Kentucky where he received a Bachelors degree in Agronomy and Soil Science. On June 11, 1960 Allan was united in marriage to Dolly M. Graham in Russellville, Kentucky. This happy union of 56 years was blessed with sons, Mark and Scott and a daughter, Lisa. He resided for a time in Farmville, Virginia; Versailles, Indiana; Charlestown, Indiana and settled in Madison, Indiana in 1968 and attended the First Baptist Church in downtown Madison. Allan later served as Pastor of the Madison New Testament Church for 40 years. He had an interdenominational focus and over the past few years alternated attending several area churches including River Valley Community Church, Point of Grace, and North Madison Christian Church, among others. He stayed active in ministry until his death. Allan was a soil scientist and a member of the Indiana Soil Classifiers and the Soil Science Society of America. He worked for the USDA soil conservation service for 35 years during which time he mapped over a million acres. After retiring from the soil conservation service, he started a private consulting business, Soil Related Services. In his younger years, he was involved in competitive weight lifting and earned All American at the University of Kentucky where he won many weight lifting competitions, the most notable being the 1957 Mr. Kentucky competition. Throughout his entire adult life, he was active in weight training and body building and was very knowledgeable about health and nutrition. He enjoyed watching University of Kentucky basketball, bicycling, organic gardening, and planting trees on his farm. Allan was a devoted Pastor and Bible teacher who impacted the lives of many. He died on Sunday, April 16, 2017, at 5:10 a.m. at the Norton Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. Click Here for Funeral Service or Tribute Video A LOVING FAMILY Allan will be missed by his loving daughter, Lisa K. Nickell Paninos and her husband, Gregory of Narberth, Pennsylvania; two sons, Mark V. Nickell and his wife, Twila of Madison, Indiana; Scott A. Nickell and his wife, Laurie of Madison, Indiana; his loving grandchildren, Nathan, Natalie, Noah, Neci, Nan, Luke, Judd, Grant, Anna, Olivia, and Alexander; his great grandchildren, Riley, Mishka, Maylee, Hezekiah, Isaac, and Jubilee; and his nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Victor Nickell, his mother, Martha Murphy Nickell, his beloved wife of 56 years, Dolly M. Graham Nickell, his great granddaughter, McKenzie Nickell, his sister Carol Walter and her husband, Eugene, and an infant brother. FUNERAL CEREMONY Funeral services will be conducted Friday, April 21, 2017, at 1:00 p.m., by Pastor Shane Brunner at the River Valley Community Church, 2535 Clifty Drive in Madison, Indiana. Interment will follow in the Fairmount Cemetery in Madison, Indiana. VISITATION Friends may call Thursday from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, 325 Demaree Drive Madison, Indiana and Friday from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service at the River Valley Community Church, 2535 Clifty Drive in Madison, Indiana. MILITARY HONORS A final salute will be conducted on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the River Valley Community Church with full military honors to follow at the Fairmount Cemetery conducted by Jefferson Post 9 of the American Legion. MEMORIAL EXPRESSIONS Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army or the River Valley Community Church. Cards are available at the funeral home or the church. Online condolences, www.morgan-nay.com Secure">http://www.paysimple.com/security.html">Secure Payments To send a flower arrangement in memory of Pastor Allan K. Nickell, please click here to visit our sympathy store.