November 12, 2020
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jeff Nicholson on Thursday, November 12, 2020, at the age of 81. After a short illness, Jeff had a sudden heart attack and died peacefully at the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, BC, with his wife Mengia at his side.
Jeff was born in Burns Lake, BC, in 1939 and raised there. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry in 1963. After graduation he worked on various forest genetics projects, which inspired him to pursue a Master's of Science in Forestry at the University of Toronto, which he obtained in 1966. From 1966 to 1970 he worked for the Canadian Forestry Service centred in St. John's, Newfoundland.
In 1970 Jeff decided to move back to BC and transition to teaching, and acquired his high school teaching qualification from Simon Fraser University in 1971. He came to Revelstoke in the same year to teach biology, science and math at Revelstoke Secondary School. He and Mengia were married in 1972, and they had two children, Matthew and Peter. Following his retirement from teaching in 1999, he served as a School Board Trustee until 2018.
Besides his unending love for his family and his deep interest in education, Jeff's passion was the Parks and enjoying the outdoors. He regularly hiked the Mount Revelstoke Summit trail and skied the cross-country trails on Mount Macpherson. Jeff was also an avid reader and loved history, literature and nature books. His dedication to the community and quirky sense of humour endeared him to all.
Jeff is survived by his loving wife Mengia of Revelstoke, son Matthew (Chieko), grandson Hugo and granddaughter Sara of Tokyo, and his siblings Daniel (Ruth), Millie Dezamits, Connie (George) Milliken, William (Gloria), Ruth (Robin) Garvin and Mari (Walter) Keeler, as well as his many relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his son Peter, brother-in-law Pete Dezamits and sister Barbara (Dan) Bandola.
The family would like to express their gratitude to everyone reaching out during this difficult time. Due to the current protocols set for gatherings, a service is not possible. The family expect to announce plans for a Celebration of Life at a later date.
The family would also like to sincerely thank the physicians and staff at Queen Victoria Hospital, the BC Ambulance and Air Ambulance Service, and the physicians and staff at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops for their outstanding care of Jeff. The family would also like to sincerely thank Gary and Chrissie Sulz and staff at Brandon Bowers for their kind support and assistance.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) at https://cpaws.org/, World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) at https://wwf.ca/donate/, or a charity of choice.
Messages of sympathy may be sent to family by viewing his obituary at: https://brandonbowersfuneralhome.com/
Cremation arrangements are in the care of Brandon Bowers Funeral Home, Revelstoke.