You could tell what holiday or special day was right 'round the corner by the clothes Debra Nichols wore.
If it were Easter, she'd wear an appropriate sweater and carry a matching purse. On July 4th, she'd pull out something with the Stars and Stripes. And a Halloween outfit might feature pumpkins, scarecrows and cats.
Ms. Nichols was a psychiatric nurse for Gwinnett Hospital System, Inc. She might start her day at the Duluth campus and end it at SummitRidge Hospital in Lawrenceville.
She chose psychiatry after her experience as an intern in the psychiatric unit at Grady Hospital. At the time, she was a student at Georgia State University. She applied for, and received, a scholarship to attend Yale University, where she received a master's in psychiatric nursing.
"At the time, the area that needed the most professionals was psychiatric nursing," said her sister, Lutricia Barnett of Dunwoody. The field, she noted, fit Ms. Nichols perfectly.
"She could meet a stranger and be a best friend in five minutes," her sister said. "She liked listening to people and could listen to people well."
In April 2006, Ms. Nichols was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. She was in and out of the hospital, but worked until illness prevented it. She retired in 2008.
Margaret P. Collier, the CEO of Summit Ridge, knew Ms. Nichols when both were program administrators at Charter Augusta Behavioral Health System. In 2007, when Mrs. Collier arrived at Summit, Ms. Nichols was already on staff.
"She was a clinical nurse specialist for us," Mrs. Collier said, "and she led us through accreditation at one time. She wore many hats for us."
On Sunday, Debra Faith Harrison Nichols of Atlanta died at Gwinnett Medical Center in Duluth from congenital heart failure. Cancer had spread to her lungs. She was 56. A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Friday at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. H.M. Patterson & Son, Arlington chapel, is handling arrangements.
Ms. Nichols was born in Columbia, S.C., but was raised in Atlanta. She was a 1973 graduate of North Fulton High, where she belonged to clubs and performed as a majorette.
Initially, she attended the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, but returned to metro Atlanta to complete her bachelor's degree in nursing at Georgia State University.
After she received her master's, Ms. Nichols worked seven years or so at Massachusetts General Hospital. She preferred a warmer climate, though, and took a job at Charter Augusta in the late 1980s. Gwinnett Hospitals hired her in 1993.
Ms. Nichols married twice and divorced. She had no children. She was active in her neighborhood as well as the Yale Club of Georgia and the Junior League of Atlanta.
Besides the care she gave, Mrs. Barnett said her sister enjoyed her job because no two days were identical. In her final hours, a steady stream of friends and co-workers beat a path to the hospital.
"She was the consummate professional," said Mrs. Collier, the Summit Ridge CEO. "A valuable resource."
Additional survivors include her mother, Priscilla Harrison Bealeand stepfather, Sterling Beale, both of Columbia; two brothers, Chuck Harrison of Atlanta and John Harrison of Alpharetta; a stepbrother, John Beale of Greenwood, S.C.
