Roxie Beta Nicholson

Roxie Nicholson of East Bend, North Carolina, formerly of Raleigh and Greensboro, NC and Washington, DC passed away on Monday, May 21st, 2018 at her home from natural causes. Roxie worked for close to 30 years in the U.S. Department of Labor, sometimes called the People’s Department because of its mission and programs to protect and help working-class and poor Americans.  Within the Department of Labor she worked in the Policy, Demonstration, and Research office of the Employment and Training Administration.  She served on a review panel for projects to assist migrant workers and helped develop a demonstration project to serve teenage parents.  She served as a Department of Labor representative on the inter-agency working group developing the Clinton Administration’s proposal to reform the country’s welfare system.  She was a strong voice on the working group protecting the interests of the single mothers who would be affected by welfare reform.  She also served on a detail during that period to Democratic Congressman Sander Levin’s office, further advocating on behalf of the women who would be affected by welfare reform.  After welfare reform became law she worked as a project officer for the Department of Labor on efforts aimed at helping women move from welfare to work and assisting non-custodial fathers to support their families. Roxie held a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Maryland. Prior to beginning her career in Washington, DC, she taught at the high school and community college level and then the university level, first at UNC-Greensboro, where she helped develop the women’s studies program, and later at the University of Maryland while pursuing a PhD in Economics. Roxie's advocacy for the disenfranchised was inspired at an early age by her parents, who owned a large farm in Yadkin County, NC. She said, "My Daddy used to load up his old Buick and drive around giving out food that he had harvested and my mother had canned or frozen so poor families could have enough to eat during the winter." It was no surprise that in fifth grade she won the "I Speak for Democracy" contest calling for economic equality. She often quoted her father, who quoted FDR: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”  Roxie said that her parents left her and her sister, Mary, a legacy of hard work, compassion for those who have less, and a willingness to speak truth to power. Those of us who mourn Roxie's death will also be sustained by her compassion, her intelligence, her generosity, and perhaps most of all by her joy. She was alert to joy, she welcomed it, she shared it. She deeply appreciated all its forms-- the exuberance of laughter, the cutting edge of wit, the rapture of the spiritual, the depth of human touch. Her love for her sons was beyond measure and she took great pride in their talents and accomplishments, encouraging them to follow their hearts and to act with conscience in their personal and professional lives. She found great happiness in the good fortune of others. She exulted in her sons—from Joey’s funny elementary school poems (“Oh what a fool I was to go to school”) and more serious photos (the light and dark of a winding creek between snow-covered banks and saplings) to Colin’s surfing on the Outer Banks of NC, skiing the slopes of Colorado, and later his decision to teach middle school and support young people. She taught her sons to love poetry, music, and travel, as she did, and to share her lifelong passion for the ocean, especially Emerald Isle, NC, where she spent many joyous days. A number of Roxie’s later years were devoted to battling cancer, and she did so with her characteristic bravery and determination. When cancer returned, Roxie persevered with grit and resilience, committing to another set of intense chemotherapy treatment. Ultimately, the treatment did work and she was declared cancer free by her doctors. “I fought hard to stay on earth,” she told a friend, “so I could continue to do the work I’ve tried to do all my life. I have surely been blessed.” Roxie is predeceased by her parents, John Robert Nicholson and Ruby Inman Nicholson. She is survived by her sons, Kevin “Colin” Hanrahan and Joseph Darren Ayers and by her sister, Mary Nicholson, as well as a host of special friends and colleagues who adored her. As she wished, Roxie’s ashes were scattered off the coast of Emerald Isle, NC in a private ceremony. A memorial service will be held in Washington, D.C. on Monday, June 18th. Online condolences may be directed to www.gentryfuneralservice.com.