Buford Lee Nichols Jr.

He was preceded in death by his best friend and late wife of 64 years, Veda Nichols. He is survived by his brother, David Nichols, and his daughters and their spouses, Elizabeth Nichols-Kelloff and Mitchell Kelloff of Lansing, Kansas; Susan Pryor and Robert Pryor of Galax, Virginia, and Carol Thomas and H. Victor Thomas of Houston, Texas. His surviving grandchildren are Neva Shoemaker, Nick Kelloff, Christopher Pryor, Shannon Pryor, Timothy Pryor, Jason Thomas, and Kelly Thomas. He is also survived by seven great-grandchildren.

After spending his childhood between Texas and China, where his parents were Southern Baptist missionaries, Buford enrolled at Baylor University in 1949. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Sociology in 1954, the same year he and Veda married. He earned his Masters of Science in Physiology in 1959 from Baylor College of Medicine.

After spending his childhood between Texas and China, where his parents were Southern Baptist missionaries, Buford enrolled at Baylor University in 1949. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Sociology in 1954, the same year he and Veda married. He earned his Masters of Science in Physiology in 1959 from Baylor College of Medicine. He then attended Yale Medical School and earned his Doctor of Medicine in 1960 before completing his residency at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore from 1961 to 1963. He was the Chief Resident of Pediatrics at Grace New Haven Hospital from 1963 to 1964. Buford served as Chief of the GI and Nutrition Service at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston from 1970 to 1978. In 1978, he helped establish the Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) in Houston and served as Director until 1993.

Buford dedicated his career to improving the health of children around the world, with a specific research focus on malnutrition caused by carbohydrate intolerance. Throughout his career, he authored over 300 peer-reviewed papers and contributed to over 200 chapters in medical literature. He received the Shwachman Award of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition in 2002. Some highlights of his career include assisting with the separation of conjoined twins at Texas Children’s in 1965 and travelling throughout Guatemala, Mexico, Jamaica, and Brazil, to conduct research on malnutrition and chronic diarrhea.

Buford continued his research long after retirement, collaborating with numerous colleagues and friends across the world. His latest achievement was holding the International Starch Digestion Symposium at the CNRC in 2025.

Buford was known for his strong love of the Lord, dedication to his family and friends, deep passion for life and learning, and the endless pursuit of truth. A true Renaissance man and avid reader, his hobbies and interests spanned from mineral collecting to Texas history and theology. He also enjoyed many summers at the Nichols family cabin on the Grand Mesa in Colorado, where he and Veda spent time fishing, ATVing, and hiking with their daughters and extended family.

Please join us for a celebration of Buford’s life on March 28 at 1:00 pm at Willow Meadows Baptist Church (4300 W Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77035). The service will be shown live and can also be viewed later on the church website: https://www.wmbc.org/watch-worship.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Save the Children (savethechildren.org) or the charity of your choice.