Although my friend's father passed away in November, the family chose to wait until what would have been his 85th birthday to have a memorial and celebrate his life. After a service at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, the group congregated at his daughter's house. While a movie of happy memories played, small booklets were handed out with inserts from his family. Sometimes, it's not until someone dies that we truly appreciate their lives. William Nicholas proudly served his country and a wall of pictures showed his time in the navy along with photographs of the family that will sure to be treasured.
Fort Worth Star Telegraph Obituary
William J. "Bill" Nicholas (1926 - 2011) 84, passed away peacefully Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. In honor of his love for his country and his dog, Mystery, the family requests donations in the memory of Bill Nicholas be made either to Honor Flight, a program that allows World War II vets to visit the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., which was a trip he proudly took in 2008; or the Westside Animal League. Bill was born Dec. 21, 1926, in Ogden, Utah. He joined the U.S. Navy Oct. 20, 1942, a few months shy of his 16th birthday. He served in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters as a signalman and received his honorable discharge Jan. 3, 1946. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in 1951 with a degree in agriculture. He then proceeded to have a long, respected 50-year career in a variety of areas of California agriculture even gracing the cover of Cotton magazine in 1990. Bill was his family's biggest advocate always telling his many friends either by phone or e-mail about their accomplishments and milestones. Survivors: Irita Nicholas of Fort Worth; daughter, Kathy Nicholas and friend, Randy Hurst, of San Francisco, Calif.: son, Chris Nicholas and wife, Therese, and grandchildren, Madeline and Katrielle, of Fredericksburg, Va.; daughter, Maria Nicholas; son, Justin Nicholas and his wife, Sherley, all of Fort Worth; and Charley, Molly and Mac, some very special dogs who loved their Grandpa Bill.
