Nickel, Helen (1901-1957)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1957 May 2 p. 1

Birth date: 1901 Sep 26

text of obituary:

Missionary To India Called Away in Death

MISS HELEN NICKEL HAD SUFFERED HEART ATTACK ON MARCH 14

Miss Helen Nickel, missionary to India under the General Conference Mennonite Church, died at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, according to word received at the mission board headquarters in Newton.

Miss Nickel, who was 56, suffered a severe attack on March 14 of this year, but recovered sufficiently to resume limited activities. Recently she had been on leave at Coonoor in South India.

A missionary to India for more than 27 years, Miss Nickel had been serving as principal of the Funk Memorial Girls' School, Janjgir, until her recent illness. She first sailed for India on Nov. 23, 1929.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1957 May 16 p. 8

text of obituary:

HELEN E. NICKEL

The fruitful and consecrated life of Helen E. Nickel, daughter of Theodore and Susannah Janzen Nickel, came to an end in Coonoor, South India, on April 30, 1957. she was born on Sept. 26,1901, in Mountain Lake, Minn., reaching the age of 55 years, seven months and four days.

Helen was a serious-minded child and enjoyed books, pictures and people. Her father was a merchant in Mountain Lake until 1912 when the family moved to Waldheim, Sask. where he continued in business. Since there was no high school in this new pioneer village she came to live with her sister and brother-in-law, the P. R. Schroeders in Berne, Ind. Her brother-in-law was pastor of the First Mennonite Church in Berne, and Helen said that it was in her sister's home where she received the greatest influence and challenge of her life for Christian service. She was baptized by Rev. P. R. Schroeder on July 31, 1916, and became a member of the First Mennonite Church in Berne. She remained a member of that church until her death.

She graduated from the Berne High School in 1918. After one year's study at Bluffton College, she finished her college work at Taylor University, Upland, Ind. During later graduate study at Northern Baptist Seminary and at the Biblical Seminary, New York, she earned the M.R.E. degree. She taught in a Kentucky Mountain Mission; in Waldheim, Sask.; in Friends' Academy at Haviland, Kansas; in a high school near Goshen, Ind.; and in the Mountain Lake Bible School.

She went to serve under the General Conference Mennonite Mission Board in India in 1929. During her first two terms she served as principal of the Annie Funk Girls' School at Janjgir, C. P., India. During her third term she supervised the work of the primary schools in a rural area. These schools provided for primary education for the children of Christian believers in an area where there are Christians living in about 140 different villages. The two and a half years of her fourth term in India were spent as principal of the Annie Funk Girls' School. In Janjgir she directed the work of the teachers, the life and work of the hostel housing about 100 girls, and the Primary School.

She was active in the teaching program of the Janjgir church and in giving a decided evangelistic impetus to the students and teachers of the Girls' Middle School. This year the school celebrated its 50th anniversary and one of her last big concerns was the preparation of an anniversary booklet into which she put a great deal of thought and prayer. She also rendered valuable service of the education committees of the Mission and Indian Church, and on other mission and church committees.

In 1954 she was successful in establishing her U.S. citizenship, and after her return to India in the fall of that year, the completion of 25 years as a missionary to India was observed with her missionary co-workers.

On March 5, 1957, she suffered a severe heart attack. After a few days she entered the hospital in Champa where she was lovingly cared for by her co-workers. Her letters were cheerful and encouraging. She was making progress toward recovery so that it was deemed well to take her to a cool hill station on April 24. God willed it differently and took her home to be with Him in Glory only three days after her arrival in Coonoor.

She was the 10th of a family of 11 children. Twin brothers died in infancy, four brothers, Theodore, Jacob, Peter and John and sister Elizabeth, (Mrs. F. F. Grabinsky), all died in their fifties. Her father died when Helen was 15 years old, and her mother in 1930. Those remaining are her sister Susie, (Mr. P. R. Schroeder) of Mountain Lake, Minn., Frank of Fresno, Calif. and Lyllian, (Mrs. Elmer D. Neufeld) of Shafter, Calif., two sisters-in-law, one brother-in-law, and nieces and nephews, besides many other relatives and friends.

Helen's testimony about her work and call was given in these words: " 'For of His fullness we all received, and grace for grace.' A high calling to an unlikely servant, a wide vision to one troubled by narrow desires — these have been granted me through the cleansing influence of the Word and the Spirit, to bless my own life and help me bring the message of truth to others. All because of, and in and through our Saviour Jesus Christ."

The Mennonite obituary: 1957 May 7 p. 290
The Mennonite obituary: 1957 May 21 p. 322