Cara Nicholls

Cara Nicholls, 81, of Sheridan, WY, passed away peacefully at her home with her loving family at her side on Thursday, March 27, 2025. She was a beloved mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend to many. She was a passionate community member in Sheridan with deep convictions and long loyalty.

She started her journey in Port Orchard, Washington, where her father was a carpenter building warships. When he got drafted and was anticipating going to war, they moved back to his hometown of Lovell, Wyoming, when Cara was around two years old. When a lucrative job offer arose, they moved to Sheridan for just under two years—long enough for Cara to matriculate into junior high school. After this job ended, the Ostlers moved to Casper, where Cara attended Natrona High School through her sophomore year. When her father moved his printing business to Lovell, Cara finished her last two years of high school there, graduating in 1961.

After graduation, she attended a business school in Billings for two years, then moved out to Chicago, where her older sister, Deanna, was living. Cara used her business degree and worked for American Airlines in the Chicago offices until she returned home to Lovell to marry Art Nicholls. His schooling took them to Salt Lake City, Utah, where Cara worked to support Art through law school. Cara returned to Lovell to give birth to their first baby, Tony, in 1966. After law school, the now trio moved to Reno, Nevada, where they had their second child, Lisa, in 1969.

Cara worked at the local Stitch and Sew Fabrics as a seamstress, fine-tuning the art of sewing polyester into every imaginable piece of clothing—most of which are still in existence. Wanting to get closer to family, they moved back to Wyoming, ultimately settling in Sheridan. Cara then became a jack of all trades, first working in construction as a carpenter, helping build two homes and Spring Creek Coal Mine as one of two women on the crew. She then moved on to optometry and real estate. The slowdown of home sales in the 1980s encouraged her to look at other options. At this time, she was a single mother and chose to work harder instead of getting assistance, starting a cleaning business after her normal working hours as a real estate agent and then as an administrative assistant at the high school. She became a cleaning phenomenon and ran her own business that included painting, cleaning homes, and cleaning businesses.

She started a personal relationship with Jesus and folded into the flock at Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church, taking her spiritual growth seriously. She was an active member, devoting time to the Lunch Together program, Bible studies, and even a cleaning position. She also loved her book club of about 25 years, pickleball groups, singing in the Hubcaps Choir, and walking almost every square mile of Sheridan. She was an extraordinary woman, taking up wilderness hiking and backpacking at the age of 60, walking the Big Horn Mountain Trail Run until she was 72, and finally retiring at the age of 80 from her last cleaning job.

She is survived by her children: Tony Nicholls and Lisa (Nicholls) Mohatt of Sheridan; her sister Deanna Bergslien (Ron) of Tucson, AZ; brother Ron Ostler of Sheridan; brother Wayne Ostler (Joan) of Cowley, WY; brother Russ Ostler (Claudia) of Castle Pine, CO; and sister Jill Stubbs (Lew) of Franktown, CO; and grandchildren Marisa Nicholls, Merit Nicholls, and J.P. Mohatt.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 11, 2025, at Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church at 11:00 a.m., with a reception following in the parish hall. Memorial donations can be made to Saint Peter’s Church/Lunch Together Program in Cara’s name at 1 S. Tschirgi Street, Sheridan, WY 82801.

Online condolences may be written at www.kanefuneral.com.
Kane Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.