Mamie "Vangie" Evangeline Sly Nichols

Vangie was born Mamie Evangeline to Ernest and Blanch Sly in Scott’s Mills, Oregon on July 17, 1921. When she was 1 ½ the family moved to Washington State and when she was 3 they moved to Yuba City California.

At age 9 and in the 3rd grade, the family moved to Southern California. First to Redlands with her grandmother, then to Blyth, then back to Redlands, then to Mentone and they finally settled in Highland on a lemon ranch. That year she attended 6 different schools.

She attended Del Rosa Elementary School and Highland Junior High, and in the 9th grade she transferred to Pasadena Academy, a Christian High School where she graduated in 1940. She attended Pasadena College for a year and a half and left to join the defense work force in 1942.

Also in 1942 she met a young soldier named William Smith and they were married. During 1942 she worked at Vega Aircraft Co. in Burbank building bombers.

In January 1943 she joined the Woman’s Army Auxiliary Corps and went to basic training in

De Moines, Iowa and was then stationed at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia in the motor pool.

In September 1943 her father died and she was granted a hardship discharge from the Army so she could returned to Highland to assist her unemployed widowed mother. The following month she started working at Norton Air Depot as a truck driver. In 1944, Her 1st son, William was borne at home. After her husband was discharged from the Army they divorced.

In 1946 she met John Neidlinger and they were married. She had another son, John in 1947 and a daughter, Sharon in 1949, both also born at home. In 1950 she was laid off from Norton and she had a small restaurant built on the corner of their property at 3rd and Victoria Streets in Highland. She named the restaurant “The Little Dutch Boy” after her youngest son. A short time later she was recalled to work at Norton but was no longer in the motor pool.

In 1954 she was divorced from her 2nd husband and in 1955 the Air Force bought the property at 3rd and Victoria. In 1957 she bought a house in Highland and moved her three children and aged mother in. She was the sole support for the family from then on. Over the next few years she had 2 more houses built on the property to provide improved housing and rental income for the family. In 1964 her mother passed away.

In 1966 Norton had a force realignment and she was transferred to Mc Cullen AFB in Sacramento, CA. She took her daughter with her and her 2 sons stayed in Highland. In 1970 she retired from Civil Service and returned to Highland.

In 1970 she married Aaron (Bill) Nichols whom she had first met in 1944 while working at Norton, They sold the property they each had and bought another house in Highland. She and Bill enjoyed traveling around the country and visited all 50 state capitols. After her beloved husband passed away in 1986, she extended her travels to Israel and New Zealand. Since then she devoted herself to her church service. She continued living in their house until she moved to the Villas in 2012.

She has 3 grand children and 6 great grand children and 3 great great grand children that she loves very much.