Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother & friend; Margarita Nichols, passed away gently, surrounded by family on July 25, 2026.

Margarita was born on June 15, 1956, in Hermosillo, SON, Mexico. She loved traditional Mexican music, traditional Mexican foods (of which she mastered the art of preparation) & was proud of her Mexican heritage. Margarita resided in Temecula, CA with her husband Brian Nichols at the time of her passing. She was married to Brian for 25 years; she remains his treasured bride & will be eternally missed. Margarita & Brian raised three boys together, Ricky, Erik & Derrian, who today are successful gentlemen in their own right.

Margarita was one of 15 children. She shared a loving relationship with each of her siblings & spoke with them frequently. She also shared a very special bond with her brothers Pedro, Jose Luis Lopez Escalante (Cheli) & Gerardo Lopez Escalante (Panson). She spoke frequently of her brothers & shared stories of their childhood together with a great fondness. She looked forward to embracing them again when she meets them in heaven.

Margarita loved her family beyond measure. Her children include sons Chris, Raul, Richard, Erik & Derrian & daughters Elizabeth & Lizette. Her joys included her 12 grandchildren & 2 great grandchildren. Her relationship with her children was that of a loving & caring mother. She called each child or they called her every day to check in & assure her that they were safe, sound & healthy. Each would share their most recent & important events in every call & she absolutely looked forward to these daily conversations. Those connections will most certainly be missed. As a grandmother (& great grandmother), she especially treasured the moments sharing facetime conversations with the little ones, they brought her joy & laughter with every conversation.

Margarita's professional career spanned over 20 years as a medical billing specialist. She took great pride in her career & exercised exceptional integrity & professionalism. She was a true friend to each colleague & created friendships that lasted throughout her life. Margarita's second calling was in her exceptional ability to create the most remarkable & delicious dishes with authenticity & her own magical touch. Her remarkable talent as a cook, prompted her to venture into becoming an entrepreneur. Margarita was well known for creating the most exceptional tamales ever enjoyed. This talent & her compassion for family members in need, prompted her to become a business woman as the proprietor of Tamales de Amor. Food was her love language & she loved each friend & family member tremendously. Whenever she was complemented for her cooking, she would always reply, "That's because it was made with love". As such, every visitor, (family or friend) was always certain to enjoy her remarkable edible creations & never left her home hungry.

Tamales De Amor was begun as her labor of love, hence the name. The business was created to assist with her sister's cancer treatment & to provide financial contribution to cancer focused charities. She enjoyed great success in this endeavor until illness placed her in hiatus. In early 2025, she established her next business venture, "BEE Loved" as a creative outlet to share her talent for unique hand-made fashion designs.

Undeniably, Margarita Nichols was a woman of courage, faith & resilience. She endured kidney disease & a kidney transplant, battled cancer & won many of those battles. She started businesses, raised children, created lifelong friendships & left an indelible imprint on each life she touched. She never complained, rather, she stated that she relied on faith that God had a plan for her. It did not matter that she did not know the plan, but she was peacefully confident that there was one for her. As the angels now rejoice in heaven with her arrival, we mourn her departure from us here.

We will keep every treasured memory alive in our hearts.

Arrangements are under the care of Forest Lawn, Covina Hills, CA.

Funeral Services: Forest Lawn - Church of Our Heritage 9:00am - 10:00am

Graveside Committal: 10:30am - 11:15am

Reception: Forest Lawn Tribute Center 11:30am - 1:30pm

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