John Nicholson

Born in Lawrence, KS on Feb 22, 1956, on a sunny day to Lavina Hesse and James Pierce, later adopted by Clifford Nicholson at the age of 8 years old when his mother married Clifford. John went to school in the Topeka, KS school district. He went on to work at his parent's restaurant, Tastee Freeze, in Topeka, KS. After that he was a chef at various restaurants in the Topeka, KS area including Copper Oven, Swenson's and Pizza Hut. He moved to Phoenix, AZ for a while where he worked as a chef at Chimneys and had the honor to cook for Bob Hope and Tiny Tim. John then moved back to Topeka, KS and continued to be a chef. It was after living back in Topeka, KS for awhile that he met his soulmate and one & only wife, Diane, on an online dating site. Since it was John's first wedding he chose the wedding date. He wanted a date as special and unique as his love for Diane. Therefore, he chose February 29, 2004, a day that only happens every 4 years.

At the time that John met Diane, he also found out he had a son in Phoenix, AZ. For their fifth anniversary, John and Diane went on a late honeymoon to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and Phoenix to meet Stephen for the first time. One of his greatest memories. John continued to work in the Kansas City area as a chef at Outback Steakhouse, a catering business, and finally at Cabella's. He retired on disability from Cabella's in 2011. His wife, Diane, also retired from the IRS in 2011. They then moved to Yankton, SD to be close to Diane's mom who was their only living parent. John in his retirement liked gardening, making cement items, collecting coins, and canes. He also liked watching Monster Jam and Battle Bots. He also enjoyed woodworking and carving wood.

After 14 years of living in Yankton, John and Diane's health determined they needed to move into assisted living. So, they decided to move back to Kansas City where their daughters and grandchildren lived. They moved to the Atriums in Overland Park, KS, which fit their needs perfectly, on September 1, 2025. Soon after, John was hospitalized and it was discovered he had aggressive liver cancer. He came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve on hospice and spent one last Christmas at home. John passed away at 2:25 AM on January 1, 2026, right after our midnight kiss.

He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Diane; sister, Dianne Bedwell who was found through Ancestry DNA; grandson, Stephen Lashear; 3 step daughters, Elizabeth Pacheco, Angela (Jesse) Loewen and Melissa (Max Alderson) Amundsen; 7 step grandchildren, Miguel and Selena Pacheco, William, Hazel, Evelyn and Cassie Loewen, Felicity Amundsen; adopted daughter, Traci Andresen; cousins, nieces and nephews, and two special friends that he thought more as his brothers, Mike Phillips and Dan Bequette; mother in law Janene Cabalka; sister and brother in law Elaine and Ron Jansen.

Preceded in death was his mother, Lavina Hesse; father in law Laddie Cabalka; son, Stephen Dodd on July 14, 2025 of liver cancer also; brother Will Nicholson; brother in law Robert Cabalka; all of John's aunts and uncles.

Funeral Mass will be February 22, 2026, his 70th birthday, at 1:00 PM with lunch after burial at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church 22298 Newbury Rd, Paxico, KS 66526. Memorials can be sent to the American Cancer Society.