Funeral for David Bruce Nichols

Welcome and Opening Prayer.

Obituary

David Bruce Nichols of Freeport, Texas, passed away at the age of 77 on November 15, 2024, in Abilene, Texas. David was born on January 1, 1947, in Taunton, Massachusetts, to Albert and Venila Nichols. He spent much of his childhood as an "Army Brat," following his father's military assignments. At the age of 17, David enlisted in the Army, beginning a career that spanned twenty-one years and saw him retire with the rank of E7. David honorably served his country during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Germany and Korea. Upon retiring, he enjoyed life at Surfside Beach and pursued various hands-on jobs. He cherished spending time with friends and loved hosting crab boils for his family. David is survived by his daughter, Ann Wiley, and her husband, Russ Wiley; Ann’s daughter, Sannia Snell, her husband Tristan, and granddaughters Aria and Zola; Ann’s son Cody and granddaughter Lainey, along with Russ’s children and grandchildren. He is also survived by his son, Robert Nichols, and wife Deadra Nichols; their son, Dakota Strickland, and his wife Kelsey, with grandchildren Clara, Fionn, and Airi, as well as Deadra’s children and great-grandchildren. Additionally, he is survived by his son John Nichols and his wife Courtney Nichols, and their children Mya, Lily, and Addison. David is also survived by his mother, Venila Nichols; his brother, Tony Nichols, and wife Linda; and his sisters, Dorothy and Julie Nichols, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and their families.

“It’s A Beautiful World” Mr. Louis Armstrong

Eulogy By Dave’s son Mr. John H. Nichols

“When Tomorrow Starts Without Me” His Oldest Child and Only Daughter Ann (Nichols) Wiley.

“Desperado” by The Eagles

Sermon

Isaiah 58:10 NKJV

10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

Psalm 127:4–5 NKJV

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Introduction:

At the end of a persons life we have a tendency to want to capture the essence of what that life was about. I think that’s right and proper.

for six days I have been thinking about what to say… I still don’t know that I have nailed it down.

As sad as this week has been, and it has been sad, the bright side of all of this is the time that I have spent with my siblings. Of course I have had John since I was eight, an found us a few years ago.

This week is the longest time that we have all spent together. we have i don’t know that I have ever laughed so much in my life. For the record John Henry is the ring leader.

as I have the privileged of bringing all of this together, as I have sat with my fathers children and reflected on his life this is what I have come up with.

1. Our father was persistent.

2 a: continuing or inclined to persist in a course

b: continuing to exist in spite of interference or treatment 〈a persistent cough〉—per•sis•tent•ly Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).

His favorite way to describe this character attribute was calling himself Hardheaded.

Don’t get it twisted, this was not an act of contrition, or even an explanation, rather it was a badge of honor!

it was a tough when squaring off on the other side of things which I did more than once. did I ever feel like I won one of those debates? absolutely not. However loosing that many arguments taught me exactly how to get my ducts in a row. In his own way he taught me not to fear loosing and how to stand up. I have seen that same persistence in my brother and sister.

2.Our father was community minded.

Cooking for people in need.

volunteering for the fair grounds and being volunteer of the year.

or buying a t-shirt or plate to help a young family.

3. Our father was a Patriot