funeral: Jackie Nicholson

Introduction

Good morning. My name is Juston Davidson, Wanda and Jackie’s pastor, and on behalf of Wanda and her family I want to thank you all for being here to celebrate the life of Jackie Nicholson. As we begin this morning, would you join me in prayer.

Prayer

Father, we thank you this morning for the glory found in your world today that points us to your power and your authority. Your world tells us what your Word explains, that we can know your greatness by your fingerprints over all that we see. We also praise you as we consider that in you we find our purpose, our meaning, and our being. We were created by you and for you. And, as we come to find our hope and strength in Christ, we find salvation. We praise you Lord that we know without a shadow of a doubt, that while we are here to morn the loss of Jackie, we are also here in a greater sense to celebrate his life, his faith, and his victory in you. We are here to celebrate Jack’s years and the impact one many can have upon so many. Many who have gone before him, many who are still here, and many more that will feel his influence years after he is gone. We praise you for him and we say

Thank you Lord, In Jesus name we Pray, Amen

Obituary

Jackie Lee Nicholson, age 88, of Mt. Vernon, Missouri, passed away at 4:05 p.m. on Monday, December 1, 2025, at the Missouri Veteran's Home, in Mt. Vernon, Missouri. He was born on December 9, 1936, in Stotts City, Missouri, the son of Clarence and Dora (Barker) Nicholson. Jackie was a 1956 graduate of Miller High School, in Miller, Missouri. He was a United States Army Veteran and worked for AT&T phone company.

On April 30, 1961, he married Wanda Kay Berry, in Miller, Missouri. Jackie is survived by his wife of 64 years, Wanda; one daughter, Jacque Fair, of Marshfield, Missouri; four granddaughters, Jordan Carroll and her husband, Stephen of Marshfield, Missouri, Maggie Lumley and her husband, Levi, of Fair Grove, Missouri, Carlos "Tony" Rodriguez of Joplin, Missouri, and Cristian Rodriguez and his wife, Brittany, of Pittsburg, Kansas; six great-grandchildren, Brinlee, Bodie, Parker, Kaylee, Lilliana, and Hayden; five sisters, Martha Epps, of Miller, Missouri, Patty (Roger) Myers of Rogersville, Missouri, Linda Bishop of Athens, Texas, Teresa (Robert) Frank of Smiths Grove, Kentucky, and Mary Lou (Rod) Meyer of Purdy, Missouri; one brother, Jimmy (Carol Lou) Nicholson of Gun Barrel, Texas and several nieces and nephews. Jackie was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence, and Dora; daughter, Pamela Rodriguez; son-in-law, Ron Fair; sister, Betty Gillingham and two brothers, Billy and Jerry Nicholson.

Pastor Gary wanted me to say a few words on his behalf today as he has written you all a letter.

Dear Wanda and Family,

I regret that I cannot be with you in person today, but that’s not possible due to previous

commitments and changes in our world. But thanks to you and to Pastor Juston for

allowing me to inject a word of remembrance and appreciation for Jack. Please accept

my condolences for our loss, and my girls greet your larger family, too, with many good

and shared memories!

It was a good day for First Baptist Church of Mt. Vernon when Jack and Wanda came

our way. And although I had been here for a while, I learned that I was the “new kid”

since they had a lot of history in our area! They immediately joined in the many

activities here, and before long they were a vital part of the fellowship and “friend-

network” that makes this fellowship so special.

It was not long before I learned Jack was an Army veteran, and his service (if memory

serves me right) as an Airborne soldier was noteworthy. Our “Army word” for that is

“STRACK,” and I wished I could be as cool!! But like a real veteran, Jack did not live in

the past or rest upon his laurels. But he proudly stood to be recognized whenever we

honored Veterans. Know that your family cherishes a HERO respected by other

Veterans!

I am grateful that he was very supportive of my ministry in the Missouri National Guard

as a Chaplain, and I enjoyed that special bond we shared as vets. I have no doubt he

absorbed many of the inconveniences that came to the church so I could serve soldiers

as a Chaplain.

Jack and Wanda were involved in some key moments in the life of our church. They

were busy days with new programs, the addition of Wednesday night meals, and

special events. There were various projects that always needed a hand and a pickup

truck, and I seem to remember their quiet presence when storms troubled our church

family. It is a pastor’s joy to have partners like Jack and Wanda on their team.

And while the family would come our way for visits, there came a day when the

Nicholson’s moved up the road to Marshfield… until time and medical needs brought

them back to Mt. Vernon for care at the Veterans Home.

It’s hard to see the strong men we admire become frail and need increasing care, but

that is the arc of life. And Jack lived a long, full, and blessed life with the Lord and the

people who loved him. I salute Wanda and the family for their loving care over many

days, and we thank the Veterans Home for their care these last several months.

Please know of my continued support and prayers for you all.

Chaplain (Colonel) Gary D. Gilmore, Retired, but better known as “Bro. Gary”

The truth is that an obituary will barely due the job of highlighting details of some big points in our lives. But the true measure of our days is found in the stories we share with others and the love we share and that are shared by others. Our hope is that in the days and weeks ahead that you will gather with friends and family and share stories of the times you’ve had with Jackie.

Message

As you think and remember, we know that we will be filled with joy, fondness, remembrance, but also loss and grief. This is not news, even for believers. However, as believers we grieve as those who have hope. This hope for years has been clearly and beautifully explained by king David the poet.

Through the years the 23rdPsalm has been a welcomed refuge of comfort in chaotic lives. It speaks of a life founded on the great love of God that is filled with great care and love.

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The images David give us here point us to a God of care and comfort. Just as a Shepherd cares for the sheep of his flock, the Lord causes us to find rest. Not rest in deserts or barren landscapes but by lands of rich pastures and flowing waters. You can feel the coolness of the water and the gentle sound of streams portrayed here. Peace and content-ness wash over the sheep because the Shepheard is near. He not only provides choicest of lodging, but he also leads and protects us from those that mean for our harm. The sheep has no fear because the rod and staff guide and protect from any enemy. While the journey takes them through the valley of the shadow it ends with a buffet of God’s grace and riches. The enemies and struggles that used to come against us watch on as God sets the table right in front of their faces. And so, it will be for the sheep of the Shepheard as he makes their home with him forever.

Truly a beautiful story of hope and comfort but more than that a promise for you and I. Though we, like sheep often lose our way and forget the path our good Shepherd never lets us get out of sight.

Jesus speaks to this role in John 10:14-15

John 10:14–15 ESV

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus, the good shepherd, knows us and we know him. Those that are in Christ are apart of his fold and he loves them. The bible teaches us the greatest story of all time, the gospel story. That Jesus loved his flock so much that he did lay down his life on a cruel cross to win them. That we, sinners, covered in our sin and shame were like sheep wondering towards the cliffs, unable to see the doom just before us. Yet by his sacrifice on the cross he once and for all broke the bonds that sin had on us. He called out to us by his blood on the cross and offered salvation. He still offers that hope to us today. That hope was the same hope that Jack had. he placed his hope and life in sacrifice of Christ and was one of his children. No doubt, he would want me to tell you now, as we honor his life of service to Him, that you too can know him as your savior, just as he did. If we will but repent of our sin and claim the salvation Jesus paid for on the cross we too will be saved. 2 chronicles 7:14

If my people who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land

You see, the truth brothers and sisters, is while you and are left here with our grief and memories of Jack’s life, he has gone before us…

To far greener pastures with flowing sparkling waters. And beside that gentle brook, in the shade of path’s trees he hears his Shepheard’s comforting voice, the words we all work our lives to hear as he approaches him and he whispers to him, “well done my good and faithful servant, YOU ARE HOME.” Amen and Amen.

Prayer

Lord, we thank you and praise you for the good news that your son came to give us. That even though we have sinned against you and gone our own way, that because of the grace and mercy of Christ we can be made new in Him that gave His live so we could live. We praise you that Jack’s eternity was secured by Christ and that today is not a “good bye”. We will see him again. And when we do, it will be when we all see our shepherd face to face. When our faith will be made sight. Thank you for Jack and thank you for the hope we have in Jesus.

Amen.

Dismissal

Graveside

And as we come to the graveside, we do the last thing we can for Jack, remembering that while we bury his body, we are not burying him. he has ran his race well but for the follower of Christ, this is not good bye, only see you later. Paul sought to encourage the church in Thessalonica with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 (ESV)

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

We will remember, we will miss him, we will grieve him, but not without hope. You see, because of Jesus life, death, burial, and resurrection, we can have life that never ends. Jack believed in Jesus and took Him up on his gift for his salvation. This same gift is held out for you as well and Jack would want you to know that you can be saved as well. Put your full faith and trust in Jesus Christ and you can be saved. We will see Jack again because of this promise.

Pray.