Lucille Marie Nickolay, age 103, of New Prague, passed away peacefully on July 4, 2026.

Lucille was born on December 2, 1922, in New Prague to John F. and Bessie Bazil Nickolay. The oldest of ten children, she grew up during the Great Depression and learned early the importance of hard work, responsibility, and caring for others. She attended St. Wenceslaus Catholic School for eight years and graduated as salutatorian of New Prague High School in 1940.

As the oldest child in a large family, Lucille held a special place in the lives of her brothers and sisters. She helped care for her younger siblings and later devoted herself to caring for her parents. After her mother passed away, Lucille continued to live with and care for her father. She remained closely involved in the lives of her siblings, 29 nieces and nephews, and their families. To many, she was more than a sister or aunt; she was a steady presence, a caregiver, and the cornerstone of the Nickolay family.

Lucille’s connection to the New Prague community began at an early age. As a teenager, one of her first jobs was working at the New Prague Golf Course, which her father built on the Nickolay family farm. Lucille and her brothers cared for the sand greens, raking and rolling them between groups of golfers.

Following high school, Lucille was offered a scholarship to attend secretarial school but instead remained home to care for her ill grandmother. She later described that decision as “a blessing in disguise,” because it led to an opportunity that would shape the next 66 years of her life.

At age 18, Lucille began working as a bookkeeper at the State Bank of New Prague after being recommended by her high school for her aptitude in mathematics. She advanced from bookkeeper to teller, loan officer, secretary to the bank president, vice president, and member of the board of directors. Lucille dedicated her entire banking career to the same institution, retiring in 2015 at the age of 83.

For Lucille, banking was about much more than numbers. She genuinely enjoyed serving the people of New Prague and took pride in caring for generations of customers and families. Remarkably, Lucille never drove a car and walked to work nearly every day, relying on her brothers for a ride when she was unable to make the walk.

Lucille was a lifelong and active member of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, where she served as a choir member, festival board member, and treasurer. She grew saffron flowers in her backyard garden and made bags of saffron spice that were popular sellers at church bazaars. Lucille also served the New Prague Chamber of Commerce and was once recognized as Business Woman of the Week.

A devoted historian, Lucille was a founding member of the New Prague Historical Society in 1981, serving as a board member, treasurer, and recorder of New Prague history. She was also a member of the Scott County Historical Society. Her deep appreciation for her family’s history led her to begin documenting generations of Nickolay family stories, records, and photographs. Together with her brother Francis, her research eventually led to the discovery of living relatives in Luxembourg in 2009 and the publication of the Nickolay family tree online.

Lucille lived a remarkably active and full life. Golf held a special place in her heart from childhood. When asked when she began playing, Lucille would answer, “the first day it opened,” referring to the opening of the New Prague Golf Course in 1931 when she was eight years old. She continued golfing for most of her life and was a member of the New Prague Women’s Golf League.

Her many other interests included bowling, tennis, gardening, coin and stamp collecting, playing cards, completing crossword puzzles, and following Minnesota sports teams. She fondly remembered pitching baseball with friends at New Prague Park. Lucille also enjoyed traveling with friends, visiting Hawaii, New York, Texas, and many other destinations throughout the United States.

Despite her many professional and community accomplishments, Lucille remained humble and private. She never married, but family was at the center of her life. She celebrated birthdays with handwritten cards for each of her nieces and nephews, always including a crisp five-dollar bill, and she was someone her family could count on whenever they needed her.

In 2022, Lucille became the first member of the Nickolay family to reach the age of 100. When asked how it felt to become a centenarian, she simply replied, “I take one day at a time.” On her 103rd birthday, she reflected, “I never thought I would live this long.”

In her later years, Lucille lived at Mala Strana, where her brother Francis had also lived. The two had spent much of their lives as next-door neighbors on Lyndale Avenue in New Prague and shared a lifelong closeness that allowed them to remain part of each other’s daily lives.

Lucille was preceded in death by her parents, John F. and Bessie Bazil Nickolay; and siblings, John, Francis, Charles, George, Rita, Richard, Donald, and William. She is survived by her sister, Ruth; 29 nieces and nephews; many great-nieces and great-nephews; extended family members; and countless friends and members of the New Prague community whose lives she touched throughout her remarkable 103 years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 17, 2026, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in New Prague, with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the church. Father Eugene Theisen will celebrate the Mass. Interment will follow at St. Wenceslaus Cemetery in New Prague.

Lucille will be remembered for her extraordinary work ethic, quiet humility, devotion to her family, deep faith, and lifetime of service to the New Prague community. Her legacy, shaped by more than a century of caring for others and preserving the stories of those who came before her, will live on for generations to come.