Obituary of Carolyn Jo Nickens

Funeral Services for Carolyn Jo Nickens of Elsberry, MO will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home in Elsberry. Rev. Laura Taylor, pastor of Elsberry United Methodist Church, will officiate. Burial will be in Elsberry City Cemetery in Elsberry. Serving as pallbearers will be Randy Metje, Kirk Metje, Bill Pratt, Dane Tapley, Matt Primm and Maverick Wilmes. Carolyn, 89, was born on October 2, 1936 in Cape Girardeau, MO, the daughter of Eldon and Edna Popp Metje. Carolyn was a 1954 graduate of Cape Central High School. Carolyn was united in marriage on June 6, 1958 in Cape Girardeau to Patrick Allen Nickens. This union was blessed with three children: Patrick, Shelly and Damon. She received her LPN Degree from Pike-Lincoln Tech School in 1973, and later her BSN from St. Mary’s in O’Fallon, MO. Carolyn worked as a Registered Nurse for Lincoln County Memorial Hospital until her retirement on May 28, 2003. She enjoyed her Thursday Bridge Club. Carolyn was a longtime member of the Elsberry United Methodist Church. Carolyn was preceded in death by her parents, Eldon and Edna Metje; and two brothers: Gary and Roy Metje. Survivors include her children: Patrick Nickens and his wife, Debra of Eureka, MO, Shelly Lipe and her husband, Stephen, of Elsberry, and Damon Nickens of Troy, MO; five grandchildren: Sarah, Aaron, Tess, Briant and Lauren; and five great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Monday, June 15, 2026 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home in Elsberry. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 107 South 5th Street; Elsberry, MO 63343.