Wayne W. Nichols

Wayne William Nichols, of Warren, passed away on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at the age of 84. He was born in Detroit, Michigan to Dorothy Rose (nee Wischer) and Frederick Phoenix Nichols and was raised in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. He attended St. Ambrose through his high school years where he ran track. After high school, his many jobs included security guard and department store clerk. He found his sales position at Hudson's sporting goods department to be his most memorable and he talked for years after of dabbling in skiing because he liked selling people skis so much. His real sport, though, was bowling. He was an avid bowler for many years and belonged to many leagues, and he had the trophies to show for it. Wayne was married twice, to Suella and Yvonne, respectively. He met his first wife, Suella Brinker, when they were applying for work at Korvette's department store. Three kids and a little house in Roseville soon followed. Wayne was a fun-loving father who also made sure his kids had some useful skills. As a young man, he loved the water and was a strong swimmer, a love and skill he encouraged in his children. He also considered himself a bit of a "car guy" who taught his kids how to drive manual transmission - ending up with one daughter who never owned anything other than standard transmissions and a son who would take apart and reassemble an entire vehicle just for fun. The career that defined Wayne's work life was his long stretch as a railroad worker. As a brakeman, yardman, and conductor he wore many hats. He worked a variety of locations and routes, his favorite being the Amtrak passenger train between Detroit and Chicago. He was so proud to wear his official Amtrak conductor uniform. His love of trains continued, and when he would regale his nurses or doctors with tales of his travels, they would smile and nod and think they were indulging an old man's fancy - until one of us would assure them, yes, he really did spend most of his days "working on the railroad" (as the song goes.) Wayne loved his music (he was pretty open to all genres) and his movies, and liked nothing more than to be surrounded by his friends. He was as social a person as you would ever meet. In his retirement, he was able to take advantage of the time to enjoy all these things, as well as an occasional drive or visiting trip, and one of his last wishes was to visit a cider mill again. He didn't get to have that last drive, but he may be now at peace, with his family and some of his dear friends, perhaps enjoying his favorite treat. Wayne was predeceased by his parents; his beloved wife Yvonne; daughters Barbara and Jennifer; and his brother, Gerald. He is survived by his children, Stephanie Nichols (Jim Hazen) and Wayne II Nichols (Cynthia Wagner) and his grandson, Conrad Nichols. He is also survived by his sister in law, Sue Nichols as well as many loving nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Memorial Visitation will be on Monday, November 7th from 3 - 8 p.m. with a 7 p.m. Memorial Service at the Wasik Funeral Home, Inc., 11470 Thirteen Mile Road (west of Hoover) Warren. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be addressed to Providing for Paws at providingforpaws.org

Wayne W. Nichols

September 3, 1938 - October 30, 2022