William Nichols

1952 - 2021

William Nichols
November 19, 1952 - January 21, 2021
Arlington, Texas - William Curtis (Bill) Nichols died at his home in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday, January 21, 2021. He was born on November 19, 1952, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Robert L. (Bob) Nichols and Frances Hardison Nichols. He was a devoted son, providing care for both of his parents as they aged.
He moved with his family to a farm near Chisholm, Texas, in 1962. The old farmhouse and grounds required many weekends of hard work by everyone in the family, including 10-year-old Bill, to ready it for occupancy. When Bill suggested the farm name be "Achin' Acres", everyone was in agreement. Bill attended Chisholm United Methodist Church and was active in 4-H. He was recognized as a Gold Star Boy, the highest county 4-H honor. He graduated from Terrell High School and remained close to the school through the years as he helped implement the Bobby Nichols, Jr. Scholarship program in memory of his older brother.
Bill attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, as well as Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, majoring in Business.
Bill married Terralene Jean (TJ) Tiner in 1985. They each brought two sons to the marriage, William Robert (Bobby) Nichols and Matthew Brian (Matt) Nichols and Scott E. Tiner and Sean E. Tiner.
He worked in the travel industry for many years, at NTS Travel, Pegasus Travel, and ETC group, Inc. His interest in computers led to a new career when he began work for the Texas Department of Public Safety, Highway Patrol in 2014. He took great satisfaction maintaining the on-board computers for patrol officers throughout the state and was proud to be part of a team doing important work.
Both his immediate family and extended family were very dear to Bill. He never ended a visit without saying "Love you!" His strong interest in genealogy led him to distant relatives, and he was always delighted to expand the family tree and to meet new family members. Recently when his 9-year-old grandniece asked about her ancestral roots, he sent her pages of family history, igniting this interest in a new generation.
Bill was fond of golfing, having had a regular Sunday golf date with friends for more than 20 years. He also enjoyed playing hockey with his son Bobby. He laughed about being "the old man" on the team.
In recent years he developed an interest in astronomy. He was an active member of the Fort Worth Astronomy Society and enjoyed sharing his love of the night sky with others during their events as well as organizing astronomy presentations at family reunions.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents and brother Robert L. (Bobby) Nichols, Jr. He is survived by his wife TJ, their sons, Scott, Bobby, Sean, and Matt, and a granddaughter, Katelyn N. Tiner. Other survivors include his sister, Eileen Nichols, and his brother, Michael L. (Mike) Nichols; Bobby and Matt's mother, Karen Mann Pike; aunts, Billie Nichols, Mary Cole, and Kay Jackson; uncles, Bruce Hardison and Don Harrison; nephew, Alex, and nieces, Cora, Emily, and Erica; and a host of cousins and friends.
Memorial contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to the Alzheimer's Association, North Central Texas Chapter, 2630 West Fwy, Suite 100, Fort Worth, TX 76102 or Mission Arlington, 210 W. South Street, Arlington, TX 76010.
Bill will be buried with his parents and brother at Greenwood Memorial Park Cemetery, 3100 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth. A graveside service will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, February 27. Please visit bill-nichols.com for further information in case of unexpected changes in regard to the service. On the same site, friends and family who cannot attend the service will find a link to the live zoom broadcast of the service, as well as be able to leave messages of condolence and view photographs.