Robert F. “Bob” Nichols, of 19 Valley Forge Road, Taunton, Ma, died November 14, 2011. He was 82.
Born on February 16, 1929 to Robert W. Nichols and Amelia Nichols nee Geishecker, Bob grew up in Dedham Massachusetts. He married Sarah M. Strazzere in 1952 and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War as a radar instructor at Fort Monmouth. After graduating from Northeastern University (Magna Cum Laude and number one in his class), Bob Nichols went on to have a varied career as an electronic engineer and program manager. He worked at EG&G measuring underground nuclear “devices” in Nevada, led the team that designed the imaging system for NASA’s Viking Mars landers, and at Sylvania/GTE was program manager for the development of an advanced telephone and communication system for the U.S. Army. Medical conditions forced his retirement in 1993. After retirement, Bob volunteered 3500 hours at the Morton Hospital over a period of 15 years.
Since 1970, and until recently, Bob’s one passion was square dancing. He made many friends, spent countless hours of dancing, served as the president of the Happy Squares club, and was founder and later president of the South Eastern Massachusetts Square Dancing Association (SEMCA). During his retirement years Bob also worked on the family genealogy, tracing the family history back to the Mayflower and beyond.
Bob is survived by his wife Sarah M. Nichols; four children: Robert G. Nichols, Patricia Padelford Nichols, Elizabeth Harris and Susan Ruggiero; seven grandchildren: Michael Williams, Monica Ruggiero, David “Jake” Ruggiero, Michael Hall, John Padelford, Emily White, and Jenifer DeMario; and lots of great-grand children. Bob is also survived by his only sister Lucy McConnell of Longmont, Colorado. Funeral from the O’Keefe-Wade Funeral Home, 70 Washington St., Taunton, MA 02780 on Friday, November 18th at 10am. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Jude the Apostle Church at 11am. Relatives and friends are invited to visiting hours on Thursday from 4-7pm. Burial will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Stoughton. Donations in Robert’s memory may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, P.O. Box 4527, New York, N.Y. 10163