Lucile Eloise Nichols Burkett

Lucile Eloise Nichols Burkett passed away at Asbury Towers at the age of 102.

Lucile was the first of six children born to Harvey and Lola Proctor Nichols at the Nichols farm, which has been in the family for more than 100 years.

Lucile graduated from Bainbridge High School and attended Purdue University on a four-year full scholarship, where she also played on the women’s baseball team.

In 1936 she married fellow Bainbridge High School graduate Howard Burkett, who became a well-known organic chemistry professor at DePauw University.

Howard preceded Lucile in death in 2009.

Lucile is survived by her brother Dallas Nichols; four children and spouses Nancee (Al), Harvey (Troyanne), David (Winnie) and Richard (Nan); 10 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

While raising four children, she actively volunteered with PTA, Girl Scouts, 4-H and Cub Scouts. Lucile served in various positions with DePauw Women’s Club. She also was active in the Women’s Study Group, Tuesday Reading, SIS, Bridge group, CWF, was a deacon at First Christian Church and also earned her 50-year PEO award.

She worked at the DePauw bookstore for several years, hosted foreign exchange students and taught English to wives of Japanese men who were affiliated with DePauw. She audited courses at DePauw, including Japanese, English, organic chemistry, geology, history, modern dance, as well as child psychology at the University of Washington.

Over their almost 73 years of marriage, they spent Howard’s research sabbaticals in Seattle (twice at University of Washington), California (Stanford), Japan (Hitachi) and Bethesda (NIH). Through the years, they also traveled to Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, China, Spain, England and Ireland.

Memorial donations may be made to The Howard B. Burkett Endowed Lectureship in Organic Chemistry, DePauw University.