Regina Eva (Richert) Nikkel was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico on August 5, 1931, to Heinrich (Henry) A. and Helena (Helen) L. (Stobbe) Richert. Our dear mother peacefully passed away in the early morning at Hydro, Oklahoma on September 8, 2026 at the age of 95.

Eva moved with her family east of Colony, Oklahoma at the age of 3. She attended grade school at Pioneer School near Colony and was baptized in 1944 at the Colony Presbyterian Church. When Eva was 16, they moved to Corn and she went to Corn Bible Academy her senior year, graduating with the Class of 1949.

Eva married Bill (Cleo) Nikkel on August 27, 1949, in the Corn Bible Academy Auditorium. They made their home in Corn where Eva worked in the printing office of the Washita County Enterprise and later acted as Bill's assistant from home answering the phone and relaying calls to him via 2-way radio. The couple welcomed their first son, Gene, and Eva decided her time was best spent at home with him. Their daughter, Vickie, and son, Robert, soon followed to complete their family.

Eva and Bill continued to raise their family in Corn where their home backed up to a creek which became the children's extended playground to explore, hunt, and fish. Eva became a talented seamstress making clothes for herself and her children. She occasionally surprised Vickie with beautiful matching dresses for the two of them. They spent summer days with family friends playing softball in the field beside our house, boating at Crowder Lake, eating ice cream and swimming in the Washita river on the 4th of July.

During Eva's teenage years, she worked closely with her father on the farm taking care of the farm chores, riding horses, feeding, and milking the cows. At her home in Corn, she continued to enjoy both flower and vegetable gardening. Eva and Bill always had a large garden and did a lot of canning and freezing - nothing ever went to waste. Eva's front yard was edged with colorful bright flowers and was even voted Corn's 1st Yard of the Week!

Though Eva spent more of her teenage years helping outside, she watched her mother in the kitchen and became an excellent cook and baker. One story told by our parents was the surprise pecan pie Mom made for Dad because he loved a good pecan pie. This was Mom's 1st pecan pie and she served it to Dad (with both a top and bottom crust). Yes, Dad thanked her, and then explained that a true pecan pie only had a bottom crust. They sure laughed and enjoyed retelling the story.

Mom baked every week, making delicious breads, rolls, zwiebach (zwieback), cinnamon rolls, pineapple/cherry kolaches for the family and as gifts for many others. Our sweet mother made sure our larger family meals were extra special and enjoyed by everyone. She was the best cook and made a variety of food which included many of the most delicious Mennonite foods. Mom made dozens of verenika ahead of time in preparation for our Christmas family gatherings complete with the tastiest gravy, baked ham, and you guessed it, zwiebach, finishing with 3 different types of homemade pies!

When the kids were older, Eva went to work for Corn Heritage Village as a cook, a job that she would enjoy for the next 20 years. She then joined several other friends taking her turn driving to Weatherford to volunteer at the Et Cetera Shop. In 2017, Eva moved to Weatherford and continued to volunteer as she had developed wonderful friendships there and at the apartment complex where she lived.

Mom loved her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and friends and especially enjoyed the many larger family gatherings and reunions. She always looked forward to the next short or long visit with her children and would ask about those who were not there. She enjoyed putting puzzles together (while munching on a snack), playing dominos with popcorn after, Rubic Cube, and many others.

In the evening, when we were younger, Mom would read to us from a thick book of Bible stories with pictures. This was a special time for us and if the story was shorter, we would often ask Mom to read an additional story before bedtime. She may or may not indulge us, depending on how tired she was. However, she enjoyed spending this time with her young children.

Mom welcomed all family and friends who visited, including the international students her children hosted in their own homes and brought to our gatherings. At one point, Mom became a 2nd home for a young Venezuelan student attending Corn Bible Academy. She welcomed her visits and the opportunity to learn more about Venezuela. We still keep in touch with her via Facebook.

As a family we took many trips together and also later in life with Mom. She was always up for a trip or drive to visit relatives and places she had visited before including her home area outside of Colony, as well as a variety of places in Oklahoma and many of the surrounding states including back to New Mexico to view the area where she grew up.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bill, of 45 years, and her eight siblings, Melvin, Selma, David, Ernest, Mary, Esther, Ivan and Rosa.

Eva is survived by her son, Gene Nikkel and his wife, Carol of Yukon, OK and their family: son, Tyler Nikkel, his wife, Abby, and their children, Vince, Ian, and Tau, their daughter, Kimberly Cotter and her husband, Matthew; daughter, Vickie Andres and her husband, Dennis of North Newton, KS and their family: Chryseis Casanova, her fiancée, Robert Hunter and their children, Victoria and Melayne Casanova, Josalyn Hunter and MaKenna (Reno) Goben; son, Robert Nikkel and his wife, Lanita of Weatherford, OK and their family: son, Ethan Nikkel, his wife, Cara, and their children, Lumen and Walker, and son, Reagan and his son, Leo.

Visitation will be from 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM on Friday, September 18, 2026. A funeral service for Eva will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at The Chapel of Lockstone Funeral Home with Tim Sandy officiating. Burial will follow at Corn Mennonite Brethren Cemetery in Corn, Oklahoma.

Memorial donations may be made to Lighthouse Baptist Church at 516 Park Place, Mustang, OK 73064, supporting Missionary Tyler Nikkel and family.