Luella Nickelson Obituary

A Funeral Mass for Luella Leona (Hoch) Nickelson, 94, of Indianola, who passed to the Lord on March 10, 2026, will be held 10:30 a.m., Saturday, March 14, 2026, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Indianola. A Rosary will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by visitation from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow in the Indianola I.O.O.F Memorial Garden Cemetery.

Luella was born August 20, 1931 in Madison, Minnesota to Clem and Agnes (Schneider) Hoch. The family moved to Iowa in 1934 when she was almost 4. In 1942 her parents purchased her grandparents farm 3 miles west of Bauer. She attended school at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bauer for 8 years, later graduating from Lacona High School in 1950.

Luella met Dwight D. Nickelson in 1949 at a local dance in Lacona. They were later married on June 9, 1951, at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bauer and lived in Chariton, later moving to Indianola in 1959. They purchased their forever home in 1960. In 1968 she began her working career with Grahams Department Store in Indianola, eventually retiring from First Interstate Bank in Des Moines in 1992. Following their retirements, she and Dwight enjoyed spending 10 winters in Apache Junction, Arizona. She enjoyed her flower gardens (especially her irises) and roses, genealogy, St. Louis Cardinals, and Men’s Iowa Hawkeye Basketball.

Luella is survived by her children, Richard (Renee) Nickelson, Roger Nickelson, Rebecca (Rick) Hall; grandchildren, Chad (Rachel) Nickelson, Bryan (Tiffany) Nickelson, Bryce Nickelson, Blake Nickelson, Joel (Kate) Nickelson, Juliet (Tim) Tobin, Janelle (Brad) Freshour, Kara (Joe) Yacavona, Kelley Hall; great grandchildren, Trenton Nickelson, Emmalee Weeks, Sydney Nickelson, Mason Nickelson, Journey Nickelson, Savannah Nickelson, Weston McCoy, Paige Tobin, Benjamin Nickelson, William Nickelson, Abigail Nickelson, TJ Tobin, Piper Tobin, Zealand Freshour, Rockwell Freshour, Nathan Warren, Jacob Warren, Joseph Yacavona, Luke Yacavona; and siblings, Gene Hoch, Carolyn Wallace, and Marilyn Orey.

Luella was preceded in death by her loving husband of 54 years, Dwight D. Nickelson; daughter-in-law, Joanie D. (Bartlett) Nickelson; parents, Clem and Agnes (Schneider) Hoch; siblings, Walter Hoch, Clemmie Hoch, Marvin Hoch, Kenneth Hoch, Dean Hoch, Julia Snyder, Lillian Thill, and Evelyn Rodgers.

Memorials in memory of Luella may be given to St. Joseph Renovation Fund.