Sharon Ann Nichols

Sharon Ann Nichols, 75, of Hanover, died on Saturday, July 4, 2020 at Hospice and Community Care in Mount Joy after losing a courageous battle to a rare form of endometrial cancer (sarcoma).

She was the daughter of the late John F. Minch, who preceded her 30 years earlier, and Lillian Christastie Minch of Bethany Manor, who died on March 28, 2020 in Horseheads, NY; and a sister, Maureen (Rene) Maniatty of Jupiter, FL. Survivors include her husband, Trent William Nichols, Jr. MD, with whom she would have celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in November; a sister, Dawn Marie Lewis of Manassas, VA; a daughter, Kristin Marie Collins; three grandchildren, Colyn, Madelyn and Evelyn Ann Ritter, all of Fayetteville, AR; a son, Robert John Hotaling and his wife, Jessica, of Abingdon, MD; a grandson, Robert Preston Hotaling; a stepson, Trent Nichols, III; and grandson Riley Nichols, both of Washington, DC; a niece, Elisa Arndt; grandniece, Lillian Arndt; and grandnephew, James Arndt, all of Norfolk, VA.

Sharon was a Regents Honor Graduate in Business of Notre Dame High School in Elmira, NY, with additional business seminars in customer service, computer programming, and sales at Penn State York and Sociology at York College. She worked in retail at Bright Prospects during her first marriage and loved working as a sous-chef for various local cooking classes. Then after re-entering the job market after graduation from the Displaced Homemakers, she worked at Memorial Hospital in Radiology Department in scheduling. She then was hired as a customer service representative for Pfaltzgraff for Country Notebook and was promoted as a Cable Marketing Representative to Cable TV of York owned by Susquehanna Broadcasting. There she even worked as part of the crew for filming dirt track racing at Williams Grove Speedway for up-linking to ESPN. She also helped in production as Co-producer of the “Emerging Women’s Series” (1983-85). She and Selma Rosenburg were awarded a CableAce Award for the ‘Splendor of Horses” series featuring Arabian and Pastorino breeds filmed on horse farms in the area. By 1987 she was an account executive for INFO NOW Computer Systems. In 1988 she sold Minolta copiers for Block Business Systems before working for Homedco as a sales representative for home medical equipment, supplies and home total parental hyperalimentation where she met and married her husband, Trent, a gastroenterologist in Hanover, PA. She then in the 1990’s helped manage her husband’s medical practice, clinical trials of pharmaceuticals and bioelectromagnetics. Sharon attended Jane Buckle RN’s course work in aromatherapy and became interested in herbs. She studied overseas in Provence, France in the growing, distilling and preparation of Lavender. She was a member of NAHA and attended a number of their meetings.

Other civic organizations included the Women’s Network of York, Leadership York-Class of 1983, United Way Allocations, Board of Directors – ACCESS, Board of Planned Parenthood, member and Environmental Chairman of the Garden Club of Hanover. She was a spokesperson for Growth and testified before a Congressional subcommittee on “H.R. 3069 — 101st Congress: Displaced Homemakers Self-Sufficiency Assistance Act.” on Growth’s behalf. She and her husband set up a half tuition scholarship for several minority members of a Catholic High School in Camden, NJ where her daughter, Kristin, worked as a teacher.

Sharon was a member of the Hanover Elks Lodge BPOE #763 and the Hanover Country Club for many years. During her first marriage, she was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in York, and when she remarried, a member of St. John the Baptist Church in York. After living in Hanover, she became a member of All Saints Episcopal Church.

Sharon was always interested in politics and was a lifelong Democrat. She took part in talking Tom Wolf to run for Governor and assisted in the campaigns of John Kerry, Hilary Clinton, and Eugene DePasquale. She also was a long-term support of feminine rights (NOW) and participated in a number of activist marches in Washington, DC, Lancaster, York and Gettysburg. For the past four years, Sharon became an advocate for industrial hemp and medical marijuana, and lobbied and supported PA legislatures and farm groups to legalize hemp farming in Pennsylvania. She worked with Les and Erika Stark initially with Keystone Cannabis Collation and Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council. She also participated in metaphysical courses at New Visions Books & Gifts in York and The Inner-Connection – Holistic and Wellness Center in New Cumberland, PA. Her last trip before her illness was to Salem, MA at the end of October. While there, she learned that the only witches there were “wise women” who were involved in herbal healing, childbirth and the hysteria was caused by aflatoxins in the grains!

She loved the beach, bird watching, especially the Hanover eagles, traveling to sacred sites in Arizona, Malta, Ireland, England, France, and Greece. She collected antiques and refinished furniture. Sharon enjoyed handing out treats during Halloween, music and social dancing.
Endometrial Cancer is the leading gynecological cancer in the United States. Over 60,000 women across the country will be stricken with Endometrial Cancer yearly. The Sharon Ann Nichols Foundation, a 501c3, for support and research to prevent and cure Endometrial Cancer and Sarcoma is being formed. Sharon’s husband, Trent W. Nichols, Jr. MD, is a recognized medical researcher. He currently is the Medical Director of the Innovative Wellness Group in Lebanon, PA and will be redirecting his focus on Endometrial Cancer.

A memorial service will be held at St. Johns the Baptist Episcopal Church in York on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, at 11 AM with The Reverend Eric Hillegras officiating. A reception following the service will be held at the Paddock Restaurant on Market Street.

After losing a courageous battle to a rare form of endometrial cancer (sarcoma), In Sharon’s memory, a non-profit, the Sharon Ann Nichols Foundation for Education and Research for Endometrial Cancer (SANFEC.org) which her husband Trent W. Nichols MD charted, has made a coalition with International Cancer Alliance for Research and Education. ICARE.org has been in existence for 35 years headed by Davis Hankins PhD. of Johns Hopkins and formerly of the NIH and Vanderbilt University. Their mission is curing cancer one patient at a time by creating personal investigative teams which begins locally with one patient, one doctor and one cancer researcher. They believe by combining a tumor bank with an investigative team will allow individual patients and their local doctors to participate in real time, personalized research driven solely by patient need and not institutional and national boundaries. This year they are expanding the ICARE approach to dementia after Dr. Nichols and Dr. Marvin Berman have published their successful clinical trial using transcranial photobiomodulation in the Journal of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. For more information, please visit www.SANFEC.org