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MAHTY Martin B. Nichols 1925-2020 My stepfather, 1000s/100s of stories |
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Mahty AKA Nick AKA Dad AKA Grampa married our mother when I was almost three. He was born in Antrim NH and lived his whole life there. He served in the US Navy in the Pacific in World War II, was a payroll clerk at Goodell Company in Antrim for many years, and was Antrim's town clerk. He was widowed in 2005 and passed away in assisted living in 2020. Oh, and he swore a blue streak about anything and everything.
Key to fabrics and findings:
13 Blue Buttons: Like the flap of his US Navy pants; the buttons may have stood for the original 13 colonies
Acorns, Birches: Knew his way around the woods, often cut firewood, insisted “There’s no heat in birch!”
Amelia Earhart, Compass: Always interested in adventurers and innovations, he saw his first TV at the 1939 World’s Fair
Apples, Berries: A dyed-in-the-wool Yankee, he never wasted a single thing, including fruit by the side of the road.
Bandana: His go-to handkerchief
Baseball, Football: A loyal and very vocal fan of Boston sports. He thought nothing of driving to Boston to go to a stamp show or the Ice Follies.
Birds: Loved watching birds, trained a chickadee to eat out of his hand
Boy Scouts: Antrim’s scoutmaster for many years, 50-mile hikes and Steal the Bacon
Carrot, Lettuce, Pumpkin, Radish, Tomato: Kept a vegetable garden and berry patch out back at Depot Street
Cat, Dog: Always a cat or dog underfoot, loved to take Bip and then Heide for walks
Chicken Wire, Hens: Often kept a flock of chickens and the occasional ornery rooster; selling eggs was a side hustle
Christmas Lights: During the Vietnam era, he made a big display spelling out PEACE in green and red letters
Cow, Milk Bottle, Pail: Another side hustle, selling raw milk from December, our Guernsey
Fish: His trophy lake trout, sporting a party hat, presided over the Town Clerk’s office for many years
Flowers, Watering Can: Kept neat flower beds but let forsythia and lilac bushes go wild
Gears: A harder-working person rarely exists.
Ink Bottle and Blotter, Pencil: A meticulous bookkeeper, record keeper, and scorekeeper
Lighthouse: Loved Cape Cod
McClure Tartan: Married Isabel McClure Butterfield (McLean)
Pears: The pear tree out back was the site of a little pet cemetery.
Pig, Rabbit: The big old barn at Depot Street was home to rabbits, pigs, and sheep
Puzzle: An expert at jigsaw puzzles, sometimes held back the last piece so he could be the closer
Raccoon: His nemesis at Camp Bitch-A-Lot at Gregg Lake
Red, White and Blue/Stars and Stripes: World War II veteran of the US Navy
Royal Flush: Played penny poker (called pokah-pokah) for decades, taught me cribbage
Sailboat: Spent many hours sailing at Gregg Lake
Snapshot of the Day: An avid photographer for many years, with 1000s of slide carousels
Stamps: I learned about history, geography, and notable people when we looked at his stamp collection
13 Blue Buttons: Like the flap of his US Navy pants; the buttons may have stood for the original 13 colonies
Acorns, Birches: Knew his way around the woods, often cut firewood, insisted “There’s no heat in birch!”
Amelia Earhart, Compass: Always interested in adventurers and innovations, he saw his first TV at the 1939 World’s Fair
Apples, Berries: A dyed-in-the-wool Yankee, he never wasted a single thing, including fruit by the side of the road.
Bandana: His go-to handkerchief
Baseball, Football: A loyal and very vocal fan of Boston sports. He thought nothing of driving to Boston to go to a stamp show or the Ice Follies.
Birds: Loved watching birds, trained a chickadee to eat out of his hand
Boy Scouts: Antrim’s scoutmaster for many years, 50-mile hikes and Steal the Bacon
Carrot, Lettuce, Pumpkin, Radish, Tomato: Kept a vegetable garden and berry patch out back at Depot Street
Cat, Dog: Always a cat or dog underfoot, loved to take Bip and then Heide for walks
Chicken Wire, Hens: Often kept a flock of chickens and the occasional ornery rooster; selling eggs was a side hustle
Christmas Lights: During the Vietnam era, he made a big display spelling out PEACE in green and red letters
Cow, Milk Bottle, Pail: Another side hustle, selling raw milk from December, our Guernsey
Fish: His trophy lake trout, sporting a party hat, presided over the Town Clerk’s office for many years
Flowers, Watering Can: Kept neat flower beds but let forsythia and lilac bushes go wild
Gears: A harder-working person rarely exists.
Ink Bottle and Blotter, Pencil: A meticulous bookkeeper, record keeper, and scorekeeper
Lighthouse: Loved Cape Cod
McClure Tartan: Married Isabel McClure Butterfield (McLean)
Pears: The pear tree out back was the site of a little pet cemetery.
Pig, Rabbit: The big old barn at Depot Street was home to rabbits, pigs, and sheep
Puzzle: An expert at jigsaw puzzles, sometimes held back the last piece so he could be the closer
Raccoon: His nemesis at Camp Bitch-A-Lot at Gregg Lake
Red, White and Blue/Stars and Stripes: World War II veteran of the US Navy
Royal Flush: Played penny poker (called pokah-pokah) for decades, taught me cribbage
Sailboat: Spent many hours sailing at Gregg Lake
Snapshot of the Day: An avid photographer for many years, with 1000s of slide carousels
Stamps: I learned about history, geography, and notable people when we looked at his stamp collection
Construction Details:
This is a “people” circle: A Folded Star with a four-inch central navy theme and two rows of Folded Star, then Pine Burr in the succeeding rows.
This is a “people” circle: A Folded Star with a four-inch central navy theme and two rows of Folded Star, then Pine Burr in the succeeding rows.
Copyright Jane McLean, 2023