Clark Lee Nickols

Clark Lee Nickols, beloved husband, father, brother, and uncle, passed away peacefully with family by his side on Thursday, January 9th, 2025 at the age of 77. Clark was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne Ray and Lennie “Lynn” Birdice (Malone) Nickols. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Suzanne Marie (Miller) Nickols, sons Brian Patrick and Craig Michael Nickols, daughters Nicole Marie (Stephen) and Kelly Lynn Nickols, brothers Fred and Andrew Nickols, sister Sandra (Craig) Wales, and many nieces and nephews.

Clark was born in Berwyn, Illinois. He lived in various cities across the United States, eventually settling in Fayetteville, Ohio, where his parents purchased a 200-acre farm they named “Triple N Farm”. As a child, Clark learned how to scuba dive and became quite adept. At the Triple N Farm, Clark and his parents trained and boarded Tennessee Walking Horses. As a teenager, Clark traveled around the country showing Tennessee Walkers at various competitions with success. He placed at and won several of these competitions. He was later a graduate of Blanchester High School.

In 1967, at the age of 19, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He served his country with honor and distinction, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam where he was decorated for his actions. He completed Petty Officer Leadership School before being released from active duty in late 1971. He then served in the U.S. Naval Reserve until late 1973.

Clark later took classes and earned certifications in mechanical engineering at Wilmington College and Sinclair College, culminating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

In his professional career, he held numerous positions, most recently as Laboratory Supervisor in the School of Engineering at the University of Dayton, where he worked for over 20 years before retiring in 2023. Prior to that, he held various engineering, project, and supervisory roles at Clark Steel Framing, Artisan Grinding Service, Makino, Inc., General Electric, and Catalytic Inc. He especially enjoyed his time at the University of Dayton and General Electric. Clark was incredibly gifted mechanically and was also skilled as a pipefitter and a welder. In previous roles, he managed a multi-craft welding department during the construction of a nuclear power generation facility, as well as site design engineering during the construction of a fossil fuel power generation facility.

Clark enjoyed the outdoors, fishing, gunsmithing, target and competitive shooting, and training and showing his Tennessee Walking Horses. When he was younger, he also enjoyed square dancing with his wife. He often reminisced about his beloved Samoyed dog from his childhood, Kix, his favorite horse, a stallion named Black Jack, and enjoyed the companionship of many family cats over the years.

While attending mass at St. Anthony’s in Cincinnati with Sue, he felt spiritually drawn to the Catholic Church. He dedicated a year to completing the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults to convert to Catholicism at the Easter Vigil in 1987. He was very proud to become Catholic. He always wore the cross around his neck that he received after completion.

He was a member of The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Greene County Fish and Game Association. In addition, he was a life member of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society and the National Rifle Association.

While Clark was blessed with talent, determination, and rich experiences in life, he also experienced significant adversity. His youngest daughter, Kelly, was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome at a very young age, a disorder that robbed her of many of the abilities that people take for granted, and presented her with many medical challenges. In addition to the ongoing challenge and burden this placed on his family, he also battled several significant health issues of his own, including open heart surgery, numerous invasive cardiac procedures, and back and knee issues. At the end of his life, he bravely fought an aggressive and cruel form of cancer. Despite facing all of this adversity, he never complained, never asked, “Why me?” and never showed any regret. Instead, he carried on with quiet determination, doing everything he could to fight through whatever was thrown at him, all while caring for his family and being sure to tell them that he loved them.

Among all of his life’s accomplishments, nothing brought him greater pride than his family. Any accomplishment he may have had paled in comparison to the pride that he had in providing for, spending time with, and talking about his family. He dearly loved his wife Suzanne and would always pay her compliments. While in the hospital, he could often be heard talking to the nurses about his wife, how he loved her more than anything in the world, and how thankful he was for her and everything she did for their family. He also loved his children dearly and always made sacrifices so that their lives could be just a little better, rather than doing something for himself. He provided a safe environment for his children to forge their own path, while providing a model example of hard work, responsibility, empathy, selflessness, and love.

Clark had a wonderful sense of humor that brightened the days of so many people. Despite everything he endured, he was always kind and warm with everyone, including strangers. He could often be heard praising restaurant employees or cashiers, complimenting them, or telling jokes to make them smile. For someone that experienced so many issues with his heart, you would be hard pressed to find anyone with one so kind.

His presence and love will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

It has been said that grief is the price we pay for loving so well and being so loved. For now, this price is heavy for everyone who was close to him, but it is well worth the cost for the love we shared, and the time we were blessed with.

In honor of Clark’s life, a visitation will be held on Monday, January 20, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Tobias Funeral Home - Beavercreek Chapel 3970 Dayton-Xenia Rd. Beavercreek, Ohio 45432. A funeral mass will take place on January 21, 2025, at 10:00 AM at Immaculate Conception Church 2300 S. Smithville Rd. Dayton, OH. 45420, followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery in Dayton.

Memorial contributions in his name can be made to the International Rett Syndrome Foundation and Vietnam Veterans of America.