Obituary of William Harold Nicholls

Bill Nicholls, Jr., age 79, died on March 24, 2010. He had resided in The Village, Florida since 2005. William was born September 30, 1930, in Taylorsville, Kentucky. After high school, he taught the first eight grades in a one-room school house near Taylorsville. He attended two years of college at Georgetown, Kentucky. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland and was commissioned as an Ensign in 1954. Bill transferred to the Navy Civil Engineer Corps and graduated with a civil engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., in 1957, after which he spent 3 years administering various Navy construction projects at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. He served as Assistant Public Works Officer at the Naval Air Station, Key West, Florida and was there during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. After a two-year tour as Shops Engineer at the U.W. Naval Academy, he served at the U.S. Naval Station in Bermuda as Public Works Officer and as Officer in Charge of Construction for all Navy, Army, Air Force and NASA construction in that area. Upon return form a one-year tour in Vietnam on the joint Construction Directorate Staff, he was stationed at the Pentagon for three years. This was followed by duty in the Naval Ordnance Systems Command in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia and a tour in the Public Works Office at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia where he later retired from active duty in 1974 as a Lt. Commander. In 1974 Bill joined the Federal Aviation Administration which operated Washington National (later renamed for former President Reagan) and Dulles International Airports. Operation of the airports was transferred to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority in 1987. He worked in the Authority's Engineering Division where he was involved in the planning and major redevelopment at both airports. He retired from the Authority in 1995 and relocated to Virginia Beach. Bill, a Professional Engineer was employed by Talbert & Bright, Inc., airport engineering and planning consultants as their resident project representative and inspector for numerous airport projects in Virginia and North Carolina. Bill is survived by his wife of 55 years, the former Betty Ann Pennington from Annapolis, Maryland, two children, John Scott Nicholls and Sheila Nicholls Crider and four grandchildren. His ashes will be inurned at the U.S. Naval Academy Columbarium at a later date. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, March 26, 2010 at 1 P.M. at the Community United Methodist Church of Fruitland Park, 309 College Avenue, Fruitland Park, Florida In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, Texas 75284