April 20, 1926 – December 31, 2022

Ethel was born in an abandoned railroad boxcar near Pittsburg, Oklahoma to James Baxter and Elsie Mae (Cowan) Nichols. She was the oldest of seven sisters and six brothers: Alice Cox (Oklahoma), Frances, Bud, James Jr, Waunita Nichols (Wyoming), Betty Jo, Franky, Patricia Foxen (Oklahoma), Janie Peters (Texas), Rex (Arizona), Frankie Ruth, Baxter and Dexter.

Her younger years were spent traveling and living in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado   In Delta Colorado she met and married Henry W.(Buck) Peters on 11/19/1941. They ranched in the Delta and Grand Mesa area, until moving to Hot Springs in 1955 to manage and later own the Cheyenne River Ranch, south of Cascade. They had six children: Wanda Aaberg, Hot Springs; Ethel (Petey) Fleming, Stephenville, TX; Virgil, Hot Springs; Jim, Blackwell, TX; Henry R., Mineral Wells, TX and Mike, Hot Springs, SD.

While raising kids and being a ranch wife, she owned and operated Ethel’s Town & Country Flowers in Hot Springs from 1969 to 1975. Besides her family, Ethel loved gardening, cooking, baking, flowers and bowling. She was in League bowling until she was 90 years old and competed in many State and National Bowling tournaments.  A member of Cascade Crickets Extension Club, as well as a 4-H leader. She was a member of the B.P.O.E. Does for many years. Encouraging women in business, she showed us girls how it’s done.

Ethel was blessed with six children, 16 Grandchildren, 25 Great Grandchildren and 18 Great-Great Grandchildren. They range in age from 6 months to 80 years old.

 Preceding her in death were her parents: brothers Baxter, Dexter, Franky, Bud and James Jr., her sisters Betty Jo, FrankieRuth, and Frances: husband Buck, son Virgil and three grandchildren, Chuckie, Sarah and Corey James.

She was in the care of Stillwater Hospice of SD and resided at Seven Sisters Living Center in Hot Springs at the time of her death.  Thank you for loving our Gramma Ethel. :

Graveside Services will be Friday, January 6th, 2023 at the Highland Cemetery near Cascade Falls at 2pm. A memorial celebration will be held in the summer on 2023.

Pallbearers: Grandsons Steven and Asa Peters, Great Grandsons Wesley and Jacob Johnson, and Great-Great Grandsons Kaleb Johnson and Garrett Rhoe.

Arrangements have been placed under the local care of Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home in Hot Springs, SD