Basil Bernard “Bernie” Nichols passed away in the early hours of December 20, 2019. Bernie was born to Wilma Grace and Otho Carl Nichols on February 21, 1927 in a log cabin in Knoxville, TN. He was the second of six children. He served in the Navy in WWII and was later selected to attend the officer’s training program. He earned his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, in 1950, and his Master’s degree in Business Economics from the Claremont Graduate School in 1967.
He met his wife, Marilyn Lenore Oian, in 1958, in San Diego, CA. They were married in 1959, and had three children. He worked for the Daystrom Corporation in La Jolla, CA; RCA in Northridge, CA; and Honeywell, in Glendora, CA. Bernie worked on first-generation vacuum tube computers (in the early days of the computer industry) and he held patents for this work. His hard work and creativity laid the foundation for his long-term career success with the Control Data Corporation, in Bloomington, MN. After his professional retirement, he served as alumni director at Berry College, in Rome, GA. Bernie had an infectious personality and he liked to make people feel happy. He made a career out of communicating complicated engineering and technological concepts in relatable, marketable ways. He loved classical, big band, and jazz music; he fondly recollected his days playing saxophone, in both the Berry High School jazz band (Berry later became a college) and the marching band at the University of Tennessee. Bernie loved fishing and photography, and he was an avid fan of the Minnesota Vikings. He loved to spend weekend mornings in his wood shop, and he was a consummate, peerless woodworker.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Dennis, Neal, and Joe, and his sister, Wanda Lou. He is survived by his sister Wilma Grace, of Auburn, AL; his loving wife Marilyn, of Santa Barbara; his three children, Laura, Jonathan, and Noel; and his five grandchildren, Brian, Amanda, Asa, Leo, and Jasper. Alzheimer’s claimed the last 18 years of his life, but Bernie still managed to bring smiles to those near him up until his final days.
A memorial service will be held at the Samarkand Chapel on Jan 11, at 11 am.
