Gaye Raynelle Nichols

Gaye Raynelle Nichols, 83, passed away on 08/16/2025 due to complications resulting from pneumonia. Cindy was born in San Antonio, Texas January 6, 1942 to parents Sonny and Maxine Beidiger. Cindy had an older brother named Jim. The family moved to Port Arthur, Texas, where Cindy coincidentally attended high school along with Janice Joplin. Following her time in high school she became a licensed Beautician after graduating from Mims School of Beauty Culture, Port Arthur, on April 4, 1961. She, her mother, Maxine, and her grandmother, Letha Padgett moved to Pearsall, Texas, where many of Letha’s relatives lived. Soon thereafter Cindy moved to Dilley, Texas, where she met Dr. Johnny Mac Barton who provided Cindy's prenatal care during her pregnancy with her first child, Charlie. According to Cindy she phoned and spoke with Dr. Barton one day to ask questions of him regarding her pregnancy. Dr. Barton suggested Cindy meet him at the Dairy Queen in Dilley. Following this meeting they began dating and later were married. Soon after marrying, Dr. Barton encouraged Cindy to consider becoming a nurse. She attended the LVN program at what was then LaSalle Hospital and Clinic in Cotulla, Texas, where she and Dr. Barton had relocated. She became an LVN and was, according to Dr. Barton, "The best scrub nurse I ever had." At LaSalle Hospital and Clinic she also worked as an X-ray and Lab Technician. She was a talented nurse and loved the nursing profession. She also spent several years in Corpus Christi, Texas, working for a General Practicioner, a Dr. Malone before transitioning into the field of Dermatology where she worked with Dr. Carmen Casas for several years. Later, she spent some years working in a maximum security prison in Dilley and also in a nursing home in Dennison, Texas.

She is survived by her children: Christopher William Barton, Charlie Barton Hunter, Robin Danette Barton, James Patrick Barton, and Johnny Mac Barton, II; grandchildren: Keli Hunter Ortiz, Andrew James Barton, Lindsay Nicole Cottrell, and Frank Miller Wofford; great grandchildren: Aidan Hunter Ortiz, Greyson Kane Gomez, and Connor James Cottrell. She is and will continue to be missed by family and friends alike.