William Alan Nicholson

William Alan Bill Nicholson, age 59, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away Friday, January 27, 2017, at Parkview Regional Medical Center, Fort Wayne, after a short illness. Born March 7, 1957, at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn, Ohio, he was the son of Lt. Col. John Kennon and Shirlee June (Boal) Nicholson.

Bill spent four early years in Oahu, Hawaii, before the family returned to Ohio. He graduated in 1976 from Beavercreek High School where he was active with soccer, art, Boy Scouts and a much loved family dog, Duffy. Bills creative talents took him to the University of Miami, Ohio for graphic art studies, where he graduated with a BA in 1980, setting the foundation for a long career in commercial design and marketing. Bill earned his Eagle as a Boy Scout in 1974 as a member of Troop 71, becoming a member of the National Association of Eagle Scouts; he held active roles with his sons local Boy Scout Troop 33 in Indiana as well as with the Anthony Wayne Council Board.

Bill married Cathy Sue Clifford in Sheffield Village, Ohio, in 1994. Outdoors he loved fishing and campouts; indoors he could be found cooking and working closely with his family. He punctuated it all with laughter and smiles, each day seemingly overflowing its 24-hour limit. Most recently Bill enjoyed his service work with the Acres Land Trust Board, Friends of The Parks, and especially among members of the Plymouth Congregational Church. He was employed as the marketing director at Schust Engineering, Inc. in Auburn. Bill also has fond and rewarding memories of time spent as a substitute art teacher within the Fort Wayne Community Schools systemespecially Abbett Elementary.

Survivors include his wife Cathy and their sons, Miles Anthony Nicholson and Kennon Ervin Nicholson, all of Fort Wayne; his brother Eric Nicholson and wife Maria, of Vienna, Virginia; his sister Jeanne Nicholson Siler of Charlottesville, Virginia, and his stepfather John (Jack) Carlson, of Beavercreek, Ohio. Cathys surviving siblings include Lisa Patterson, of Erlanger, Kentucky; Corey and Christopher Clifford, of Lorain, Ohio; and Charles Clifford, of South Korea. Bills mother-in-law, Loretta Clifford, is also of Lorain. He enjoyed close ties with nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives living across the country.Bill was preceded in death by his parents and an infant brother, John Logan.

Visitation will be Saturday, February 4, 2017 from 11:001:00 at Plymouth Congregational Church, 501 West Berry Street, Fort Wayne. A memorial service for Bill will immediately follow at 1 pm at the church. Memorial contributions in memory of Bill may be made to the American Heart Association or to Boy Scout Troop 33 of Fort Wayne. Arrangements by DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to sign the online guest register or to send a condolence.