Robert James Nichols

Robert James Nichols passed away on Thursday, April 20, 2017. He was a beloved son, brother, grandson and friend. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and was fiercely Canadian his whole life, in spite of living in the United States for most of it. He and his family lived in Tokyo, Japan, for 3 years during his childhood, which helped to foster a lifelong passion for international cultures and languages. Robert collected friends wherever he went; he never met a stranger, doubly so if you.had a dog. He never did anything halfway, throwing himself headlong into his interests, which included reptiles, baking, theatre, anime, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, his motorcycle, body building, and the exciting world of cosplay. In recent years he really pulled his life into focus, eating better, working out, departing the food service industry, finding a great job at SiteLink and discovering he was very good at one-on-one IT customer support.

Robert, or Rob, or Canadian Rob, as many friends called him, was a dedicated and generous friend, always willing to drop everything for a friend in need. He often showed his devotion to friends by cooking elaborate meals or baking delicious treats for them. He dreamed big and most often realized those dreams in the elaborate costumes he was able to create that brought characters from his mind’s eye to life at the various events he attended. He openly struggled with depression for most of his life, but that never stopped him from trying to help each person he interacted with. He had an infectious grin, a mischievous laugh, terrible puns, and gave perfect bear hugs.

Visitation and sharing fond memories will be held Friday, April 28 from 7-9 pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Cary at 200 Southeast Maynard Rd. Cosplay is welcome and encouraged but not required.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to the Child’s Play at http://childsplaycharity.org/ or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at https://afsp.org/. Those who wish to wait for November may also elect to contribute to the Desert Bus for Hope fundraiser, a strange and delightful event held every year that was near and dear to Robert’s heart. The money they raise goes directly to Child’s Play, but with some fun along the way. Learn more at https://desertbus.org/.

Interment will be in Nova Scotia at a later time.

“Lo there do I see my father; Lo there do I see my mother and my sisters and my brothers; Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. Lo, they do call me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.” -The 13th Warrior