Mary Jo "Jodi" Fitzgerald Nichols

TOPSFIELD – Mary Jo Fitzgerald Nichols, lovingly known as Jodi, 69, of Topsfield, beloved wife of John Nichols, died peacefully on March 6, 2026 in Danvers. Born in Boston, she was the daughter of the late Joseph Fitzgerald and Elizabeth (Stevens) Fitzgerald Baker.

Jodi was raised in Scituate and was a proud graduate of Plymouth-Carver High School. She went on to attend Bridgewater State College before dedicating herself to raising her children, a role she embraced with great love and devotion. Jodi was a deeply caring and attentive mother who created a warm and supportive home for her family, always putting the needs of her children first.

After her children were grown, Jodi pursued her lifelong passion in caring for others by entering the nursing profession. She attended St. Joseph’s College of Maine, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Over the course of her career, she worked in several roles including as a Labor and Delivery Nurse at Salem Hospital, a Maternal Child Nurse with the Boston VNA, a Discharge Nurse for Harvard Pilgrim, and as a Registered Nurse at Maine Medical Center. Jodi was also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and worked as a Doula, supporting countless families during some of the most important moments of their lives.

Jodi was a devoted member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Topsfield. She had a deep love for animals, especially dogs, and served as Vice President of the Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue in Hudson, where she helped care for and place many beloved pets into loving homes.

Music was another great passion in Jodi’s life. Her mother was a singer who passed that gift on to her, and it was often said that Jodi was “born with pipes.” She was a longtime member of the Quincy Choral Society, where she sang alongside her husband, John, who served as the Society’s conductor. With the Quincy Choral Society, Jodi performed throughout the Boston area as well as at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and internationally in Europe.

Jodi also loved to travel, had a natural talent for sewing, and was known as an excellent cook. Above all, she was a kind and loving person who brought warmth and compassion to everyone she met. She will be remembered as a wonderful mother, wife, grandmother, and friend whose love for her family and others knew no bounds.

Jodi is survived by her husband of 49 years, John Nichols of Ipswich, her daughter, Johanna Whippen and her husband Timothy of Ipswich, her son, Jared Nichols and his fiancée Stephanie Losi of Pepperell, her brothers, Brendan Fitzgerald of Las Vegas, NV and Andrew Fitzgerald of Hanson, her grandchildren, Cara, Chloe, and Colten, her great grandchildren, Ava and Lily, and her niece, Dawn Fitzgerald of Santa Barbara, CA.

ARRANGEMENTS: Relatives and friends are invited to a funeral service for Jodi to be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 2P.M. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 124 River Rd, Topsfield, MA. Interment will take place following the service at the Trinity Church Memorial Garden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Jodi to Trinity Episcopal Church, 124 River Rd., Topsfield, MA 01983 or online at www.trinitytopsfield.org/giving, to the Quincy Choral Society, P.O. Box 108, Wollaston, MA 02170, or to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, 2700 Horizon Drive, Suite 120 King of Prussia, PA 19406 or online at www.theaftd.org. Assisting with the arrangements is O’Donnell Cremations – Funerals – Celebrations, 167 Maple Street, DANVERS. To share a memory or offer a condolence please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com.