Bob Nicholas

The Reverend J. Robert “Bob” Nicholas died at Sterling House, Derby, KS Sunday May 20, 2012. He was born November 20, 1922, to Fredrick John and Charlotte Margaret (Patterson) Nicholas. Bob grew up in San Francisco and San Anselmo, CA.

He and his twin sister graduated from Tamalpais High School in 1939. He worked as a draftsman in a shipyard south of San Francisco until he began college at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA.

In 1943 he enlisted in the US Army. He received an honorable discharge.

He graduated from Cal Tech with a BS in Chemistry. He then was accepted in Seminary, (Church Divinity School of the Pacific, in Berkeley, CA – Episcopal), graduating in 1948 with a Masters in Divinity. Bob and his wife, Barbara Baer, of Boise, ID met during his time at Seminary and were married in August 1948.

As a young man, he enjoyed woodworking, fishing and built furniture. He enjoyed Scouting, both as a youth and as a father. He was active in the Boy Scouts, the local mental health associations and the Henderson Lions Club. He also taught courses for the local school system in the Las Vegas area, and spent many hours assisting with various voluntary addiction treatment programs, primarily alcohol related.

He pastored Episcopal churches in Utah, Idaho and in Henderson, NV. Arriving in Henderson in 1960, he remained there through retirement. Bob practiced as a Marriage and Family Counselor since 1968, and worked on his PhD in Clinical Psychology.

He and Barbara traveled to Alaska, Antarctica, Christmas Island, Italy, the Middle East and a cruise from the Mediterranean via the Danube River to Budapest, and within the US to visit family and friends. In his retirement he continued his counseling practice and built an informal neighborhood ministry of listening, counseling, prayer and visiting in the neighborhood, the hospital and other places with his friends and neighbors. He also continued to assist with Sunday services and other pastoring functions at St. Luke’s in North Las Vegas. He served on the advisory board of the Salvation Army Day Care Center in Henderson, NV.

In 2000, his faithful companion for life Samo, a small Terrier Mix, came into his life. Later that year he married Holly Forbush.

After a brief illness he moved to Derby, Kansas in 2007 to be near family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Barbara in 1997, his wife Holly in 2004. Bob is survived by his twin sister Barbara Counsell of Berkeley, CA.; sons, John (Glenda) Nicholas of Derby, KS, Stephen (Linda Furbee) Nicholas of Carson City, NV, and daughter Ginnie (Paul Michalak) of Arlington VA, granddaughter Mary Nicholas of Derby, 3 other grandchildren, many nieces and nephews and Samo.

Services include a Vigil on Friday, June 1, beginning at 7:30 pm with local and out of town family present. Arrangements for virtual connections to Nevada and other locations will be announced later. The Celebration of his Life will be held at 3:00 pm Saturday, June 2. Both services will be at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church 1062 Chet Smith Dr. in Derby. Interment will be at St. Lukes Denver, to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests Memorials to the Restoration Fund at the Washington National Cathedral, Attn.: Development Office,3101 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016-5098. These may be left with Smith Family Mortuaries, Derby KS, or your local Episcopal Parish.