Jeffrey Alan Nick

Jeffrey Alan Nick
June 16, 1955 - February 3, 2025
The story of Jeffrey Alan Nick is not about how his unparalleled life here ended, but it is actually about how it began and was reborn both physically and spiritually.
Jeff and his twin brother John were born on June 16, 1955, in Downey, California to Pat and Tom Nick. As Jeff would surely want you to know, he was born seven minutes earlier than his twin. Thus began a lifetime of good-natured competition between the two, yet forged in the bond of brotherhood that - for those who love and serve Jesus Christ - cannot be severed, only interrupted this side of heaven.
Jeff was a faithful follower of Jesus. It is a faith he owned as opposed to just wearing it on his sleeve because he was expected to.
That faith was tested for Jeff, his parents and siblings early on. As a teenager, he faced a challenge that doctors were certain would take his life. Yet it didn't, partly due to medical skill and treatment, but wholly by the grace and power of God.
You would expect a family such as Jeff's that is devoted to Christ to give Him the honor for healing Jeff, yet even unbelieving medical professionals had to concede his ultimate healing after more than two years of struggle and suffering was a God-given gift.
It was a gift that Jeff would never waste. God gave him more than 50 additional years on this Earth. He used that time to excel academically and graduate Oral Roberts University Magna Cum Laude with a degree in accounting. He attained the second-highest score on the Oklahoma CPA exam, and while in the early years of his impressive career in financial management, he obtained his Master's in Business Administration from Arizona State University.
More importantly, while at college he met the love of his life, Carol Irby, and in 1977 they married and began their journey together. They savored each day and were devoted to one another every moment they were blessed to share.
Those moments were immeasurably brightened with the arrival of their son, Andy, and a few years later, their daughter Ashley. In time, Andy and Ashley would find their own lifelong loves, start new families and bring Jeff and Carol five extraordinary grandchildren.
It is when you look into the faces of those children and grandchildren that you can begin to appreciate the magnitude of Jeff's physical and spiritual rebirth in the early 1970s. Without that touch from God to restore his life, and to substantiate his enduring faith in Jesus, there is no marriage to Carol, no Andy and Robin or Ashley and Stephen. No Charlotte, Spencer and Alice, nor Owen or Margot. The touch of God brought life to more than Jeff, it created many more lives we now know with an enduring and ongoing legacy.
You see the inexpressible gift that was given Jeff, and all he gave in return. It was more than the trips he offered his family, though there were many to places all over the globe (especially if it was somewhere on or near the seas). It was more than the skills and integrity he brought to each of his jobs, though those were considerable. It was more than the love he had for his brothers and sister and all their family members, though that was substantial. It was more than the measure of his days on Earth that conveys the profound nature of the gift he was given. It was the essential goodness of the man that blessed everyone he encountered.
That essence was developed under the fiery trials of life, but he never let those trials change who he was: a Godly, generous, loving man. He cannot be replaced, of course, but if you ever meet or already know anyone in Jeff's family, please understand that we are all better people for having known him as a husband, father, brother, Poppa, friend or colleague. If you never knew him, it is a loss, but one that can be repaired a little. Because if you meet anyone who knew him, a part of the best of Jeff will rub off on you and you will be blessed.
Those of us who love and follow Jesus as Jeff did know this is not the end; not even close. This is just an intermission between our temporal lives and our eternity in Heaven. The gift of Jeff has been returned to his Maker, but what a day it will be when we are together in Paradise, and we can thank God for this wonderful person who God knew we all needed here in our lives.
Jeff is survived by his sweet and loving wife Carol (Irby) of Southlake, TX, his son Andy (Robin) and their children Charlotte, Spencer and Alice of Scottsdale, AZ; their daughter Ashley Bryan (Stephen) and their children Owen and Margot of Dallas, TX. He is also survived by his brother John (Karen) of Phoenix, AZ, his sister Sandy Wise of Dallas, TX, and his brother Doug (Gail), of Gilbert, AZ. He was preceded into eternity by his parents Tom and Pat Nick of Scottsdale, AZ who now have the joy to see Jeff, as they are, in perfection by the grace of God.
A celebration of Jeff's incredible life will be at 9 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 22 at Gateway Church, North Richland Hills campus, 7501 Davis Blvd., North Richland Hills, TX. Jeff loved Hawaiian shirts, and anyone who wants to wear one -especially in bright colors - in his honor at this event is certainly encouraged to do so!
Donations may be offered to Embrace Grace, 700 W. Bedford Rd., Ste. G, Hurst, TX 76053.