Jane Elizabeth Nichols Steele

Jane Elizabeth Nichols Steele died October 4, 2017. She was the daughter of Guerdon Nichols and Dorothy McLeod Nichols. She married and settled in Little Rock where she raised her four children. She was the first female teaching assistant in Little Rock University's History Department. She was the leader of the first integrated Girl Scout troop in Little Rock, and an active member of the League of Women Voters. She co-founded Wilderness Trails, a non-profit that took high school students on summer trips to the Appalachians, Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Boundary Waters. These adventures were always memorable. She took many canoe trips down the Buffalo River, starting the trip with the warning "Don't rush to Rush!" Jane lived in Colorado and Arizona, engrossed in the culture and history of the west. She rafted several western rivers, including the Colorado. She drove her camper alone up the Alaska-Canada Highway and back. She designed a cabin on Beaver Lake and built it with the help of family and friends Jane loved a good project or destination. Finally, Jane returned to Fayetteville and the house she grew up in. She is survived by John William Steele, Cynthia Steele Moss, Dr. Allison Moss Johnson, Dr. Jeff Johnson, Jack Johnson, Emily Moss Runyon, Brad Runyon, Isabella Runyon, Hannah Runyon, Karen Steele-Hart, Bill Hart, Jacquelyn Steele Lincoln, Ivy Lincoln, Naomi Mendel Stratton, Katie Stratton, Chloe Stratton, Sarah Mendel Johnson, Len Johnson, Julia Lincoln Sites, Matt Sites, Cassidy Sites, Harrison Sites, Barret Schein, Tanya Schein, Bishop Sites, Dr. Daniel Lincoln, Sarah Schwald, Ellery Lincoln, Becky Scott Roberts, Mark Roberts, Gordon Roberts, Tiffany Roberts, Megan Roberts, Marc Roberts and Chloe Roberts. The family thanks all those who supported Jane during her life. Memorials can be made to Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, Washington Regional Medical Center Hospice or Southern Poverty Law Center. Condolences at www.beardsfuneralchapel.com.