Karen B (Bonosevich) Nichols

Karen B. Nichols, of Chevy Chase, MD, fell asleep in the Lord on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at the Casey House in Rockville, MD. She was 66. Karen was born on December 4, 1951 in Neptune, NJ to the late Michael Bonosevich and Nada (nee Demetrovich) Bonosevich.

From 1975 to 1983, she served in the US Navy as a Lieutenant on the USS Hector, stationed in Japan, New Zealand, the South Pacific, and elsewhere around the world—and that sense of adventure never left her. In recent years, she traveled to St. Petersburg, Venice, Rome, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, among other places.

Following her service in the Navy, Karen earned a master’s degree in Information and Telecommunications Systems from Johns Hopkins University, and worked for the federal government for nearly two decades. Everywhere she went, Karen was able to make friends and touch people’s lives. She could strike up a conversation with anyone, old or young—and these new acquaintances would soon find themselves added to her ever-expanding list of postcard recipients.

Nothing seemed to slow her down or diminish her spirit. Even after she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease scleroderma in 2010, which required her to receive a lung transplant the next year, she dedicated much of her time to providing support to people on transplant waiting lists.

Karen is survived by her loving children, Alexandra Nichols and husband, Sasha Belenky of Brooklyn, NY and Gregory Nichols of Washington, DC; beloved brother, Geoffrey Bonosevich and wife, Gaby of Regensburg, Germany; beloved sister, Adrienne Bonosevich of Eugene, OR; devoted nephews, Alexander and Eli; cherished niece, Natasha. She will be greatly missed.

The family will receive friends at St. Mark Orthodox Church, 7124 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20817 on Sunday, January 28, 2018 from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. A Memorial Service will take place at 6:30 pm. A Funeral Service will take place on Monday, January 29, 2018 at St. Mark Orthodox Church at 10:00 am. Interment will follow to Gate of Heaven, Silver Spring, MD.

Contributions may be made in memory of Karen to St. Mark Orthodox Church, 7124 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20817 or the Second Wind Lung Transplant Association (https://www.2ndwind.org/).