Beatrice Vaccaro and Ray Nicholls

Beatrice Celina Vaccaro was born in Kelowna, BC, on July 9, 1926 to parents Sylvio Vaccaro and Maria Rosa Ducharme.  Beatrice was the second child, with siblings Sylvia (Alphonse Luknowsky), Maria (Hugh Drybrough) and Ida (Bart Bleile). She was raised on the family acreage at the corner of Burtch (Byrnes) and Guisachan Roads. She attended Central Elementary School and then Kelowna High School. She began working at the Okanagan Shoe Repair shop, that was owned by her parents, when she met Ray Nicholls.
​
Raymond Herbert Nicholls was born on May 11, 1925 in Lajord, Saskatchewan. Beatrice and Raymond were married on January 11, 1946 at the Immaculate Conception Church on Sutherland Avenue, Kelowna. In 1950, they moved to Carmi, BC, to be closer to Ray’s work, hauling logs for Olinger. Ray hired a team of horses and a faller and hauled logs to the Carmi sawmill. Two years later, he bought a 1954 Mack logging truck. He also bought two ‘TD 9 cats’ for skidding the logs out of the bush and that was the start of Nicholls Logging. When the Carmi sawmill burnt down in 1968,  the wood prices were too low to start up some place else and that was the end of Nicholls Logging. Beatrice and Ray went into a partnership with Lyle Shunter, buying a ‘966 front end loader’ and started L & B Contracting. The company was excavating in the BC area. When they decided to semi-retire, they took up ranching and custom haying on Guisachan Road. 

Beatrice and Raymond had five children: Deanne Sylvia (Bob Kelley), Raymond Alfred (Jillian), Cindy Louise (Barry Dennett), Trina Marie (Dean Titanich) and Mark Dwayne (Mona). They have 13 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren and 8 great great grandchildren. 

In her younger days, Beatrice enjoyed going up to the cabin in Carmi and getting out to do some fishing. She loved being outside and could often be found in her garden. Her passion was her family, and she enjoyed the many gatherings. She also enjoyed going on bus tours with her siblings. Reno was her favourite destination. She was so proud to call Kelowna her home, for sixty-seven years.

Ray was one of the early members of the Kelowna Yacht Club, Regatta Committee and the Fish and Game Club. Ray was the President of the Kelowna Aqua Ski Club, which was on the west side of the lake.  You could find many members there using the ski jump and the slalom course.  He taught water skiing, and he used his powerful boat to pull the once famous “pyramid girls.” (often with six skiers in tow) 
Beatrice passed away on June 9, 1994 and Raymond on June 22, 2019.
Contributed by Mark Nicholls, son.