A visitation we be held on Thursday October 12, 2023 from 6:00 - 9:00 PM at MacKenzie & McCreath Funeral Home, Lucknow.
A Funeral Service will be conducted at the Lucknow Christian Reformed Church on Friday October 13, 2023 at 1:00 PM.
293 Place Street, Lucknow, Ontario
Cemetery:
South Kinloss Cemetery, Lucknow.
293 Place Street, Lucknow, Ontario
Cemetery:
South Kinloss Cemetery, Lucknow.
In Memory of
Nikki Exel
September 23rd, 1945 - October 6th, 2023
Place of Death
Huron Hospice, Clinton, Ontario.Obituary
Nikki Exel, of Lucknow, passed away on October 6 2023. She was 78 years old. She was the beloved wife of Eric for 59 years. Dear mother of Dave Exel, Sandra & Reid Murray, Bev Exel & Denis Degen, and Lori & Scott MacKinnon. Missed by her grandchildren Melissa & Brandon Wilhelm, Cameron Exel & Marija Jovanovic, Donelda & Mathew Radojcin, Shania Murray & Daryl Koch, Rachel Clark & Richard Tep, Ryan & Caitlin Clark, Liam MacKinnon, Seamus MacKinnon, and Barbara MacKinnon. She was the proud great grandma of Cleo, Henry, and Morgan. Survived by her siblings Johanna Searle, Janet & Paul Gunter, Gert & Ruth deJong, and brother-in-law Jim Sutherland. Predeceased by her parents Gerda & Jelle deJong, grandson Eric Exel, sister Syka Sutherland and brother-in-law Bill Searle.Nikki was born in Ee, Friesland, Netherlands on September 23, 1945. In 1952 she and her family moved to Canada. When they arrived in their new country the family moved in with her Uncle Tom on a farm in Kinloss Township. Time passed and she grew up loving living and working on the farm. She worked as a cashier at the Lucknow grocery store before she met and married Eric Exel on September 25, 1964 at the Lucknow Community Christian Reformed Church. The church was an important part of Nikki's life. She was a founding member. During the early years of their marriage they lived around Brussels, until in April of 1972 they purchased a dairy farm on the 4th concession of Kinloss, just outside of Whitechurch. Nikki and Eric farmed and raised their family on that farm for 22 years. They moved to the outskirts of Lucknow in 1993. They built their own home throughout the summer of that year and moved in on October 3, 1993. After moving to Lucknow from the farm, Nikki took a job at IC Greenhouses outside of Ripley and continued to work there until her retirement.
In the fall of 2022 she was diagnosed with Bile Duct Cancer. She proceeded to have chemotherapy and radiation treatments in London, but unfortunately these efforts did not halt the cancer. She succumbed to her illness at Huron Hospice Clinton on October 6, 2023 just after noon. Her daughter Bev was by her side. During her final days she was never alone. Her family and the exemplary staff at Huron Hospice cared for her until the end.
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