The seventh child of William Carl and Mary (Rambow) Heiden, Helma Emma Nettie (Heiden) Nickel, was the first one born at the family home at 8861 Dixon Road. She was born on Saturday, June 25, 1910.

Like her parents, brothers and sisters before her, she attended Bridge School through the 8th grade. Unlike them, however, she attended one year less since she was moved directly from kindergarten up to second grade because she would have been the only first grader that year.

Helma married Herbert C. Nickel on July 30, 1938 in Elkhart, Indiana. She was 28 and her husband was 30 at the time.

Herb, who was born on Sunday, March 1, 1908, lived on the Nickel family farm on Lewis Avenue a few miles north of Ida where he had attended high school for two years. He and Helma lived in a house that had been built on the south of the Nickel farm land at 1258 Lewis Avenue and had one son, Larry, and 2 grandchildren.

In 1930, prior to her marriage, Helma worked at River Raisin Paper Company in Monroe and lived with her sister, Mildred Eipperle and her husband, John, on Gieger Road. She was known as an excellent cook and her interests included crafts, reading and watching her grandchildren. Helma was also very involved in activities at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.

Herb farmed and milked cows all his life and also worked from 1965 to 1970 at Research and Design Co. in Petersburg before retiring from both occupations in 1970. On Monday, September 17, 1990 he died of lung cancer at the age of 82. Herb is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park in LaSalle, Michigan.

On February 2, 1998, Helma passed away at the age of 87 in St Vincent Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. She is also buried at Roselawn Memorial Park .