Samuel Anthony Nicholson

Samuel Anthony Nicholson obituary, Highlands Ranch, CO

Samuel Anthony Nicholson

Samuel Nicholson Obituary

Visit the Heflebower Funeral Services website to view the full obituary.

Sam died January 28, 2025. He suffered from substance use disorder.

He was born in Littleton, CO, on June 5, 1997, and is the oldest son of Dan and Paula Nicholson.

At Sam’s core he was kind, generous and sensitive. On a family trip to Italy, he noticed the people living in the margins and emptied his pockets to them.

True to his namesake (fun Uncle Tony), he was the instigator of play. On the childhood repeat reel were family flashlight tag, sumo wrestling and sock wars. Early in life, he would lose himself in creating detailed drawings, which evolved into applying original tattoos to himself as an adult.

After graduating from high school, Sam worked in the construction field installing siding and building doors. He was very capable with a tool in his hand and in his element building a camping platform in the bed of his cousin Robin’s truck or rebuilding a screened-in porch for his parents. He took justifiable pride in his abilities with a saw, speed square and nail gun.

While installing a window at work, Sam fell three stories. After recovering, he used the settlement money he received to house a friend. Generosity defined him.

A talent for memorizing lyrics and a love of dubstep and rap led him to write his own songs, some of which he uploaded to SoundCloud.

Those left to cherish his memory are his immediate family: Dan, Paula, Charlie and Angus Nicholson; grandmothers, Jeanie Nicholson and Mary Evitts; and many, doting aunts, uncles and cousins. Sam was preceded in death by his grandfathers Chuck Nicholson and Rich Hollander.

A private remembrance will be held.

In Sam’s memory: listen to live music, care for a pet, read a graphic novel, talk to someone living in the margins, enjoy gaming, get a tattoo, eat some Mexican food, gaze at the stars or play UNO, making up new rules that cause your fellow players to laugh and cheat just a little. 

Heflebower Funeral Services

8955 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Ste. 100, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

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