He grew up in McAlester and graduated from McAlester High School in 1942. He married Mildred Monroe on Jan. 19, 1947, at the First Baptist Church in McAlester. He worked for E.T. DuPont Company on the atom bomb project in Hanford, Wash. until January 1944. He then joined the Marine Corps and went on active duty in February. He served in the South Pacific with the 2nd Marine Division. After the war he served with the occupation forces in Japan. He received his honorable discharge in August 1946. He then started school at Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton and transferred to Oklahoma State University Tech in Okmulgee in January 1947. After graduating, he returned to McAlester in 1948 and started a commercial refrigeration business, A & M refrigeration, later Nichols Refrigeration. In 1950 he was mobilized with the 45th Infantry Division of the Oklahoma National Guard, serving with K Company and later with the 15th Division. He was discharged in 1952 and returned to McAlester to re-open the refrigeration business, which he operated for 25 years. After selling his business in 1976, he taught refrigeration at Okmulgee Tech for 10 years, at which time the family lived in Prairie Bell, near Okmulgee, until his retirement in 1986. While teaching at Okmulgee he earned his bachelor's of science degree from Southeastern State College in Durant. After his retirement he and his wife moved to Hawaii on the Big Island where they lived for six years, returning to McAlester in 1992. Here, they joined the Indian Nation Good Sam's Club and for the next 12 years they enjoyed traveling all over the United States. He had been active with the Boy Scouts of America as scout master for Troop 2, where many young men received their Eagle Scout badges from him, including his own son. He was awarded the highest boy scout honor, the Silver Beaver. He also served on the board of directors for the McAlester Boys Club for several years and served on the McAlester City Council for second ward for several years. He was a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church. He passed away at McAlester Regional Health Center at the age of 85. Survivors include his wife, Mildred Nichols, of the home; four sons, Robert L. Nichols Jr. and his wife, Suzanne, of Oklahoma City, and their children, Christopher William, and Katherine Calton and her husband, Robert, and their son, Hunter; Michael C. Nichols and his wife, Shirley, of Hawaii, and their children, Sashi Swallow and her husband, Kevin, and their son, Takeo, Jon Matsushita, Dawn Hirata and her, husband, Brian, and Kim Nichols; Charles C. Nichols and his wife, Rose, and their son, Ben, of Norman; John W. Nichols and his wife, Pauline, of Tuttle, and their children, Greg Potter, Kelly Dennis and her husband, Derrick, Carter Nichols, and Cindy Garner and her husband, Evan. Also, one daughter, Diane Peoples and her husband, Gary, of Hartshorne, and their son, Daniel, and their daughter, Amy Baldwin and her husband, John. Pallbearers will be Kimble Henry, Daniel Peoples, Greg Potter, Dan Henry, Mike Henry and James Hoover. Honorary pallbearers will be Bob Hatter and J. H. George. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at First Presbyterian Church with Dr. Tom Murray officiating. Burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Brumley-Mills Funeral Home of McAlester.
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Cpl. Robert L. Nichols, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Nichols, McAlester, OK. Attended McAlester High School. Entered Marines in 1943. Trained at Camp Pendleton, CA. Attended Japan Language School in Japan. Served in AP. Discharged in 1946.