William Robert Nicholas

William Robert Nicholas, Ph.D., passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at the age of 82, after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease. His adored wife, Sheila, was at his side.

Bill was born on March 21, 1943, in Royal Oak, Michigan, and grew up with his parents, Bill and Mildred Nicholas, and his two older sisters, Joyce and Patricia. He attended Central Michigan University, where he studied history and enrolled in ROTC. Following graduation, Bill served a one-year tour in Vietnam as a Second Lieutenant and Tank Platoon Leader. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service—an honor he rarely spoke of—but he took great pride in his work building relationships and winning “hearts and minds” among the Montagnard communities of the Vietnamese highlands.

At the conclusion of his military service, and with encouragement from his family, Bill returned to Michigan rather than re-enlisting. He earned a doctorate from Michigan State University and began a lifelong career devoted to education. After several years of teaching, he joined the faculty of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, where he spent the majority of his professional life. Following his retirement from MSU, Bill joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, continuing to teach until Sheila persuaded him to slow down and spend more time with her at the home they built near Lake Michigan.

Education and learning were central to his life. He was a self-taught painter and photographer who built his own darkroom in the basement. He maintained a lifelong fascination with the cosmos, always keeping a book on astronomy close at hand. Finally, though he retired twice, Bill continued to write and teach until Parkinson’s and the onset of the COVID pandemic made that impossible.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters. He is survived by his wife, Sheila; his children, Lisa (Jean-Luc), Erin (Mike), Josh (Alice), Kathleen (Matthew), and Laura (Ryan); and his grandchildren, Isabelle, Emma, Ella, Zoe, Ted, and Eleanor.

Bill was deeply involved in his church, where his faith and service gave him purpose and community. It is fitting, therefore, that a memorial service will be held at University Lutheran Church in East Lansing on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.

Bill will be remembered for his intellect, dedication to learning, and the quiet pride he took in a life spent teaching, serving, and loving those around him.