Connie Nicol has kidney cancer, so her high school friends from the class of 1963 came by one day to surprise her at her home, where they re-enacted their old Fairbanks High School cheerleader photo. Pictured are, from left to right, in both pictures are, Donna Nicol, Jeanette Zerkle, Nancy Nagel, Joyce Hinton and Connie.
(Photos submitted)
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Gene Nicol enjoys serving the community with his plumbing business, so it was difficult for him to announce that he’s closing its doors after 45 years.
Throughout the decades, Gene and his wife, Connie, have worked to help the community, from plumbing and air conditioning needs to simple things like changing light bulbs and checking mouse traps. However, two years ago, the idea of retirement became more of a sudden reality when they found out Connie had kidney cancer.
“It was talked about for a couple of years, and I said ‘maybe I’ll work until I’m 75 and make sure I have enough for retirement,’” he said. “It was an easy decision once we both agreed on it.”
Family life
The Nicol family is comprised of three daughters, Dawn Myers, Kathy Francis and Julie Becker, and they all helped out in the family business. Gene would work all hours of the day on service calls with his daughters helping him out, while Connie would be his secretary.
Gene started his interest in plumbing when he was 20, around the time he married Connie. He started training under Ed Bunsold and then opened his business when he was 29.
“The beautiful thing in this business was that it was a service to the community,” Dawn said. “He’s been a faithful servant through his business and that’s been very important with our family.”
Until they got to high school and started working their own part-time jobs, their daughters helped with the family business. They’d do things such as hand Gene his tools when he was stuck in a crawlspace and they’d hand deliver bills to their customers.
Dawn said it was a great experience to be able to interact with her father like that, as he would also take lunch breaks with them. It was considered her “special time” with her dad. He would still be there in time for dinner, but they’d be ready to service another call once they were done eating together.
Often, Gene would assist his church, St. John’s Lutheran Church, with free services. The family would be rewarded for their work with pies and cookies delivered to their house.
Connie Nicol
Even through her illness, Connie answered business calls with her good phone voice and do the business’s accounting work. While she did the paperwork, she worked a slew of part-time jobs, as well as take her kids to track, basketball and cheerleading practice.
The business was first located at their home in Milford Center for a year until they found where they wanted to build a new home in Marysville. The business has been at their home on Beecher Gamble Road since 1977, where Connie had continued helping with the paperwork for nearly 40 years.
In 2015, they received Connie’s kidney cancer diagnosis, but Gene thought the first year of her cancer “wasn’t bad.” When she was starting her first treatments, the doctor recommended they go wherever they wanted, so in the spring of 2016, they were able to take one more vacation on a riverboat cruise in France for two weeks.
Since then, however, things had become worse, as Gene said it was definitely “a trying year” for them all. Connie has been staying organized with the business and with the plans for the rest of her life.
“She’s already been orchestrating everything and she’s been planning everything out,” Dawn said. “It’s gotten to the point now that dad has had to focus on quality time with her. His co-worker really did allow him to do that.”
Gene said this will be the first time he’ll let anyone outside of St. John’s Lutheran Church or his family know about her illness. However, it has been “hard for us to accept it was really happening and we kept it quiet.”
Connie and Gene have been advocates for kidney cancer research. Since her diagnosis, she’s been helping to contribute to this research through the James Cancer Hospital at The Ohio State University. For now, the curative form of treatment is done.
The couple will spend quality time with each other, where Gene will focus on the chores and taking care of her. He’ll also continue his hobbies, such as hunting, golfing and gardening.
“For the most part, I’ll do the little chores around here,” he said. “Gardening and everything else suffers when (someone’s) not here.”
The business closed its doors on July 1. Gary Scheiderer, an employee of more than 40 years and a cousin of Gene, will continue to independently work with the business’s major clients.