She was born one of 7 children in Inman, Virginia on December 18th, 1926, to Arthur B. Nickels and Pearl (McConnell) Nickels. Eventually she and her siblings moved to Huntington, WV and she graduated from Huntington High School in 1944.
After a short stint working for the FBI in Washington DC as an administrative assistant, moved back to Huntington, WV, met and married Bill J. Wellman of Wayne Country, WV in 1948 and started a family with the birth of their daughter, Jamie, in 1951, followed by Scott in 1959, and David in 1965. During this time, Bill worked in his brothers jewelry store (Wellman O’Shea in Huntington, WV), a jewelry store in Madison, WV, a stint in Clinton, Iowa, a music store in Gallipolis, OH, and eventually a jewelry store in Point Pleasant, WV (Tiffin Jewelers) which they ran from 1961 until 1978.
At the Tiffin Jewelers store, she worked as a top salesperson and did the accounting for the firm. At the urging (and training) of her son Scott, in 1983 she started using a computer with spreadsheets to quickly perform the accounting.
She attended classes at Marshall University throughout the 70’s and 80’s to increase her business knowledge.
She was an avid golfer and played in many tournaments, often taking home a trophy or other notable prizes. She played golf until the age of 75.
There will be a visitation / remembrance gathering at the Woody Funeral Home-Atlee Chapel, 9271 Shady Grove Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116 (804) 730-0035 from 5pm to 7pm on Saturday, July 2, 2011.
There will also be a visitation / remembrance gathering at a later date in the Huntington, WV area.
In lieu of flowers, you are encouraged to make a donation the National Kidney Foundation (http://www.kidney.org/support/)
See more information online at www.LogicDepot.com/sonia/sonia.htm
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