(Sioux Falls, SD) — A former state legislator and high school principal from Sioux Falls is being remembered as a pioneer in government and education. Jan Nicolay died on Saturday at the age of 82 after a battle with cancer. Nicolay was named principal of Washington High School in 1987, making her the first woman in Sioux Falls to become a secondary education principal. She spent 14 years in the South Dakota House and became the first woman to chair a House committee, serving as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee for a decade. According to her obituary, there will be a graveside service Thursday at noon at the South Dakota State Veterans Cemetery in Sioux Falls. That will be followed from 2-to-4 p.m. by a “celebration of her life” at The Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls.
