Suzanne Turner Nichols

Suzanne was born in Wichita, Kansas July 24, 1946. She was the oldest of five children. The Turners were a very close knit military family that moved often. Suzanne attended elementary school in Germany and Ohio. She graduated from Randolph High School located on Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. While at Randolph, she was very actively involved in school activities such as Student Council Secretary, concert choir, theater production, varsity cheerleading, homecoming court and voted Sweetheart Ball Queen.

Following high school, she attended Kansas State University where she studied Fashion Merchandising. While at Kansas State, she became a proud sister of Pi Beta Phi sorority, a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon “Little Sisters of Minerva”, a yearbook “beauty nominee”, a varsity cheerleader and was crowned Military Ball Queen. During her freshman year she took a chance on a blind date suggested by a sorority sister and met a guy named Bobby Nichols, who, as it turned out, became the luckiest and most blessed guy in the world.

On June 17, 1967, Sue and Bob were married in a military ceremony in the chapel of McConnel Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas and set out on a lifetime adventure. The first five years of marriage were spent going where the US Navy sent them. They would live in Pensacola, FL, Corpus Christi, TX, San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, Honolulu, HI, Okinawa, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Japan.

Following discharge from active duty, the couple moved to Dallas, TX briefly, then to New Jersey where Bob had taken a flying job with Eastern Airlines. The family moved in 1972 to Atlanta, GA shortly after the birth of their daughter Kimberly. They bought their first home in Marietta, GA and live there still some 50 years later. A son, Rob, was born in 1979 and from that moment on, it was all kids all the time. Sue loved taking Kim to dance classes and performances and attending all of Rob’s athletic events. She was excited to get to replay all of that with the arrival of her adored grandchildren, Nick & Carsen.

Along with family, Sue found time to be a highly successful business woman. She maintained a showroom at the Atlanta Apparel Mart, carrying women’s sports wear for 10 years. She also worked as an antique dealer and for the past 10 years, worked as an administrator/clerk at Walton High School from where she retired in 2023.

Suzanne was preceded in death by her parents, Colonel L.M. Turner, USAF (ret.), and Mrs. Doris C. Turner, her brother Douglas Turner and brother Tommy Turner.

Suzanne is survived by her husband of 56 years, Robert B. Nichols; daughter Kimberly A. Nichols (Dan) Makuch; son Robert L. (Heather) Nichols; grandson Nichols Makuch; granddaughter Carsen Makuch, all of Marietta, GA; brother Brad (Ann) Turner of Manhattan, KS and brother Michael Turner of Tucson, AZ.

Sue’s life was a life well lived. She believed in her God, Jesus Christ and life everlasting. She had a plaque in her kitchen that reads “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 2, 11am St. Peter and St. Paul Episcopal Church. 1795 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, Georgia 30062.

Celebration of Life gathering following at 1pm, Indian Hills Country Club, 4001 Clubland Drive

Marietta, GA 30068.

Burial will be at Georgia National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for a contribution to Walon High School Foundation at https://www.waltonhighschoolfoundation.org/donate/ or to the charity of your choice in Sue’s name.