Geoffrey Nichol Nolan

Geoff Nolan died May 1, 2025, after three weeks at Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital, surrounded by his wife, daughter, and other family members. Geoff, 72, had a successful 50-year career in real estate, most recently as President and Managing Director of several real estate and mortgage companies including Wilson & Nolan, Nolan Financial and Island Homes Management Company.

He was driven and motivated by making deals, energized by the details and back-and-forth of every negotiation he worked. Among the many accolades and recognitions of his achievements, Geoff was the recipient of the Phoenix and Silver Phoenix Awards from the Atlanta Board of Realtors for Lifetime Achievement.

Confined to a wheelchair following a stroke in 2014, Geoff barely missed a beat. First thing every morning, he checked the ups and downs of the stock market and shared them with his daughter, Streeter, in New York. He continued to go to the office daily. He practiced Pilates on Thursdays, and every Friday he worked out with a trainer. He spent many happy hours on his 9th floor balcony reading The Wall Street Journal and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution while listening to music.

Geoffrey Nichol Nolan was born on August 8, 1952, to Judith Nichol Nolan and Robert Sutton Nolan in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The family moved to Atlanta when Geoff, the third of four boys, was 6 months old. In 1970, he graduated from Sandy Springs High School where he was a standout athlete. In 1974, he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Washington & Lee University where he played basketball and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He followed up with an MBA from the Northwestern University-Kellogg School of Management the following year.

Geoff went right from graduate school to New York City where he worked for Citicorp for several years before transferring to the Atlanta office. His next role was as vice president of Cushman & Wakefield. It was at a Cushman party that he met Claire Gore; after four years of dating, they married in 1989.

Geoff and Berke Wilson, a classmate from W&L, became business partners in 1986 and later formed Wilson & Nolan in 1991 and remained partners through more than three decades. Geoff was instrumental in the organization of the Merchant Bank where he served on the board of directors and the credit committee. The Merchant Bank was later acquired by Bank South which became Bank of America.

Before his stroke, Geoff was an avid and accomplished golfer, especially at the Sea Island Club courses where he, Claire, and Streeter vacationed at their townhouse. He also played every Sunday in Atlanta with a “gangsome” at the Capital City Club. The family traveled with other families to the Bahamas during school spring breaks. As a devoted dad he was eagerly involved and funny and became good buddies with many of Streeter’s friends from childhood through college. He coached her Top Hat soccer teams and travel softball teams, taking one of them to a national championship. He was supportive of all her endeavors, always sending her off with an encouraging “Go get ’em!”

At home, Geoff binge-watched movies on many streaming networks, and downloaded—or overloaded—his iPad with music from Willie Nelson to the Allman Brothers and the Eagles. He was a pretty laid back guy, comfortable with a Corona Light in hand.

In addition to his social clubs, Geoff had been a member of the Buckhead Coalition since 1991, was a Commercial Life Member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors’ Million Dollar Club and was a steady supporter of the Atlanta Humane Society.

Geoff is survived by Claire Gore Nolan, his wife of 35 years and their daughter, Streeter Nichol Nolan of New York. His brother, Stephen Nolan (Sheree Gormley) of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina survives him as do his brother-in-law, Clark Gore (Susan), and sister-in-law, Janet Gore Turman, along with several cousins, nieces and nephews, and Margaret Nichol. He was predeceased by brothers Michael Ridley Nolan (2017) and Matthew William Nolan (2021).

The Nolan family wants to thank Geoff’s caregivers—Patrick Phiri, Julia Davis, Clyde Brown, Sally Nunez, and Beverly Bennett—for their dedication and friendship.

A celebration of Geoff’s good life will be held on Wednesday, May 21, at 2 p.m. at the Capital City Country Club, 53 West Brookhaven Drive, 30319. To honor Geoff and the labs—from Trouble to Bruiser—he loved over the years, the family suggests a donation to the Atlanta Humane Society, 1551 Perry Boulevard, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, or atlantahumane.org.