A lasting legacy

The city of Chelsea lost a beloved citizen Jan. 13. Tony Nivens, resident and founder of the Chelsea Historical Society, passed away unexpectedly after a short hospital stay at the age of 62.

Nivens was married to his wife, Shellie, for almost 40 years. They had four children and seven grandchildren. 

Nivens grew up in Chelsea and worked for years as a pastor. The family lived in different places before he stopped preaching, and they moved back to Chelsea in 1998. Nivens then spent time working at the Winn-Dixie in Chelsea and the 280 location. He also spent time working in his wife’s flower shop, Chelsea Flowers & Gifts, that she owned for seven years. The couple served in the nursery of their church for 20 years. 

 “His roots have always been in Chelsea,” said his oldest daughter, Valarie Barber. “He graduated from Chelsea High School, and my grandparents have lived on that property where he grew up for close to 60 years.”

Nivens’ mom, Shelba, wrote a book about Chelsea called “Early Settlers of the K-Springs/Chelsea Area,” and he grew up with a love for the city. Barber said her grandmother loved Chelsea and loved doing things for the community. Shelba Nivens also wrote a column in a local newspaper, and after she passed away in 2015, Tony Nivens took over writing in her place. 

During the time when the Weldon building was being torn down, old Chelsea and new Chelsea were becoming divided, and Nivens wanted to bring the two sides together. 

“People who had been there for generations were passionate about the history, and the people who moved in wanted more luxuries of a bigger city, which caused a divide. That’s what drove him to be a mediator for the two parties and establish the Chelsea Historical Society, to still preserve the history of what makes Chelsea what it is.”

The Chelsea Historical Society opened a museum in the former library location next to City Hall in June 2018. 

When not working his full-time job at Best Buy as a floor manager, Nivens would spend his Tuesdays off at the Chelsea Historical Society, and he spent his nights and evenings working at home doing research, making flyers and phone calls. 

“He always talked about it,” Barber said. “It was his second passion. Once he got the society building and it opened, that was a milestone for him to accomplish.”

Jenny Bartlett, a friend and co-worker at the Chelsea Historical Society, had known Nivens almost four years. He got in touch with her after his mother passed away to assist him in research for the second part of her book.

“He never rested or took a day off,” she said. “He was working and sending emails up until 9 p.m. the Friday evening before he passed away.”

Bartlett said the Historical Society received an outpouring of support from the community after Nivens passed away.

“The first day we were open after his funeral, it was a revolving door,” she said. “We had more visitors that day than we ever had.”

Bartlett feels that Nivens made a huge mark on the Chelsea Community and also her personally. 

“I feel like by inviting me to help him, he gave me a purpose with what to do with myself,” she said. “He gave me a direction.

An incredibly patient man who always saw the good in people, Nivens ended his emails to his historical society friends with “I appreciate you.” 

The historical society is working to fill Nivens’ spot as president of the board. Vice President Cody Brasher is filling in temporarily and plans to continue the work Nivens started.

Kerrie Johnson, another historical society volunteer, said Nivens never met a stranger and never forgot to tell you he was praying for you, and he really meant it.

“He wanted everybody to know the history of Chelsea and share it,” she said. “He had a lot of ideas and things he wanted to do, like kids coming here on field trips and learning history. He left us a roadmap of what to do.”

 Aaron Knight, pastor of Redemption Church at K Springs, where Nivens’ funeral service was held Jan. 16, said Nivens loved his family, his church and his community like no one Knight had ever met.

“His work ethic was second to none,” Knight said. “He provided for his family, served as a devoted member of our board, led our preschool and launched the Chelsea Historical Society. He was a busy man who always had time for you. When I came in to pastor at K Springs Church, he welcomed me with open arms and a sweet spirit. If there was a way to make heaven a better place, then it happened [when he died].”

Barber said the outpouring of support shown to her family has been amazing. Her mother still gets daily calls checking on her, and her dad leaves an amazing legacy behind.

“He will be remembered for how much he passionately loved God, his wife and family, his church and the city of Chelsea, in that order,” she said. “His giving of himself to those groups of people are what he will be missed most for. He always had a smile on his face, and his joy is what I think a lot of people will miss. Anytime you ever had a conversation with him, you felt better than before.”

Mayor Tony Picklesimer said Nivens reached out to him right after Picklesimer was sworn in, to be a liaison between the old Chelsea and new Chelsea. Picklesimer said Nivens was instrumental in bringing the museum to fruition and it would not have happened without him.

“I’m so excited to see some of the things he and I worked on getting ready to come to fruition, including the new Weldon Pavilion,” Picklesimer said. “He was instrumental in putting that together, and his mark will be on this city for a long time.”