Nicola Boulos Tannous

Nicola Boulos Tannous was born March 29, 1943, in Jaffa, Palestine. He was the tenth of eleven children born to Boulos Tannous and Hanneh Azar Tannous. On September 14, 2022, he passed away at his home in Houston, surrounded by his family after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 79. Nicola was preceded in death by his daughter Leila Nicola Tannous in 1996, his parents, his four brothers Salim, Issa, Tannous, and Ibrahim, and his sisters Rose and Jamileh Tannous, Farideh Mantoufeh, and Claire Wahhab. He is survived by his wife, Jane Peterson Tannous, his son Nick Tannous of Houston, and his daughter, Dr. Jeanet Roche and her husband, Dr. Warren P. Roche, Jr., of Salado, Texas, and four grandchildren: W.P. Roche III, Shane Roche, Renée Roche, and Zane Roche. As a dear brother and uncle, Nicola is mourned by two sisters, Evelyn Wardini of Beirut, Lebanon, and Salma Tannous of Sydney, Australia, as well as by hundreds of nieces, nephews, and cousins in Lebanon, Australia, Canada and the United States. He will also be missed by many wonderful friends and neighbors.

While Nicola was always deeply grateful for his life in America and felt tremendously blessed, his family experienced many hardships when he was young. In May 1948, when he was five years old, Jaffa was under bombardment and his family was forced to flee for safety to Beirut, Lebanon, where they lived as refugees in an Orthodox Christian Monastery, the entire family crammed into one room. Nicola attended grade school in a tent. By the time he was 14, he was helping his father and older brothers in their construction business, work similar to what they had done in Jaffa. Always energetic, he loved paddle-boarding and swimming in the Mediterranean and was quite adept at diving for fish, oysters, octopus and sea urchins. He was also a climber of trees, pinnacles, and anything steep or treacherous.

In 1958, Nicola enrolled in Beirut Baptist School, and it was here that he forged friendships that lasted his entire life, especially since many of his closest friends eventually found their way to America. He cherished memories of spring field trips with classmates to beautiful sites around Lebanon such as the massive ancient ruins of Baalbek, and many stunning waterfalls, rivers, springs, mountains and valleys. In October 1962, Nicola made a life-changing decision in the BBS Chapel. He confessed his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior and was baptized. “That’s when everything changed for me,” he would often say as he shared his story with others throughout his life.

Another momentous decision came two years later when Nicola received a scholarship to Southwest Baptist College in Bolivar, Missouri—half a world away. He nearly died of homesickness but was buoyed by the warmth of American families who welcomed him to their homes over the holidays. Later he would transfer to the University of Missouri in Rolla, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Along the way, he fell in love with Jane Peterson, whom he proposed to on their first date!

His first job as an engineer was with the Missouri Department of Transportation in Jefferson City, Mo. He and Jane lived in Columbia, Mo., where they welcomed three children into the world plus two of Nicola’s nephews from Beirut came to study and earn degrees in engineering. In May 1974, Nicola and Jane moved their young family to Houston where Nicola began working for Brown & Root, Inc. Eventually, Nicola would work for Aramco where he finished out his engineering career.

Always enthusiastic about studying Scripture, Nicola was active in Bible Study Fellowship for many years and led Sunday School classes at Fairbanks Baptist Church and Jersey Village Baptist Church. He was a big supporter of his children’s school activities, working as a band parent, and volunteering for projects.

He enjoyed taking his family on vacations to Hawaii, and also made trips to Lebanon, Australia, and Israel to visit his large, lively, and gracious family. One of Nicola’s greatest joys was barbecuing lamb shish kebabs or steaks and serving them to the family. He delighted in his grandchildren, celebrating their every achievement and talent in sports, art, and academics. He also loved taking everyone out to eat whenever they visited. He especially loved taking his life-long companion and dearest sweetheart Jane out to eat. If you visited his home, he insisted on making for you a delicious cup of Turkish coffee. Nicola visited people in the hospital, did airport runs for friends, helped move furniture (nothing was too big or too heavy), and was always ready to offer a helping hand in any project.

Like all Tannouses, he was a phone aficionado , using WhatsApp daily to keep in touch with family and friends on three continents. He would also call his grandkids to give them encouragement and advice on schoolwork. He was patient as well as passionate, longsuffering as well as stubborn. He never stopped hoping and praying and he never gave up on anyone. He loved to listen to good sermons in English or Arabic, and was a fierce prayer warrior.

His fervent desire, in life and in death, was for everyone—in his family and everyone who might be reading of or hearing of his death—to experience the transforming power and accepting love of Jesus Christ. To acknowledge God’s unfailing love, he believed, was both a humbling and liberating way to live life. To pray for forgiveness for one’s sins, one’s own personal shortcomings, and to also forgive others for their wrongdoings was an equation he often spoke about as the way to a life of peace. Nicola believed in God’s amazing grace, and always pointed out that Scripture says that no one is “good enough,” but rather we are all in need of God’s grace. As he lay dying, he called out “John 3:16”—that favorite verse that states: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” These words permeated Nicola’s entire being and became his purpose in life and death. He wanted everyone to know the joy and peace of trusting in Jesus Christ. He prayed for everyone to drink the “living water” offered by Jesus in John 4:13—"Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst,” Jesus explained. “Indeed, the water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Nicola invites everyone to drink of Christ’s living water by committing their life to Him. As the Psalmist wrote, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)

His daughter Jeanet called him “Chief.” His son Nick called him “Dad.” His family called him “Haj.” He was “uncle” or “amo” or “khalo” to nieces and nephews. But, to all who knew him and his heart of gold, he was “Habibi”—the sweetest heart.