Dr. Grady Barney Nichols

Dr. Grady Barney Nichols, age 91 of Woodstock, Georgia, passed away on Sunday, March 2, 2025 peacefully at his residence after a long battle with cancer. Grady was born March 18, 1933, to the late William B. Nichols and Lucille Baker Nichols in Wilsonville, Alabama. He is predeceased by his brothers and sisters-in-law: Carl B. Nichols (Mary Shaw Nichols) of Columbiana, AL and William G. Nichols (Wanda Nichols) of Rock Hill, SC.

Left to cherish his memories are his wife of 67 years, Suzanne Hackney Nichols; daughters Pamela L. Cornutt (Donald R. Cornutt, Jr, MD) of Marietta, GA and Patricia N. Coan (Jerry A. Coan) of Stillwater, OK; grandchildren, Ashley C. Marquardt (Tyler J. Marquardt) of Marietta, GA, Donald R Cornutt, III (Trey) of Woodstock, GA, Jason N. Coan and James P, Coan both of Stillwater, OK; and great grandchildren Lillian Isabelle Marquardt and Miles Grady Marquardt (named after his great grandfather) both of Marietta, GA.

Grady grew up on a farm about an hour South of Birmingham, AL. After graduating from Shelby County High School, Grady enlisted in the Navy where he served on a Destroyer in the Atlantic Ocean during the Korean War. During his college years, he joined Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity. Grady received his bachelor’s degree from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Electrical Engineering and his PhD from Tokyo University.

Grady started his professional career working at General Motors outside Detroit. He continued his career at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland where he worked on the TRIOS and Nimbus projects. He became Vice-President of Southern Research Institute where he oversaw the design of air pollution equipment. He started his own Company where he consulted in Air Pollution Control and did projects in India, China and Greece.

Grady was a Silver Life Masters in duplicate bridge and directed many tournaments on several cruises where he and Suzanne traveled to many exciting countries as a result such as Australia and the Arctic Islands. Grady enjoyed traveling and has traveling around the World becoming a Million Miler. He enjoyed dancing with Suzanne, the love of his life. He enjoyed fishing and bird hunting with his grandsons and passed down that love to them. He will be greatly missed by his family but always remembered.