Grant Nichols, II

Grant Simpson Nichols II, aged 73, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, January 19th, 2020, from complications of Multiple System Atrophy. One of three children, he was born September 23rd, 1946, at Conley Maternity Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, to Grant Simpson and Catherine Jane Nichols and grew up in Prairie Village, Kansas. Grant is predeceased by both of his parents. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Kendra Nichols, and his six children: sons Daniel Peters; John Nichols (and his wife Heather and two grandsons, Jackson and Jay); David Peters (and his wife Anne and three grandchildren, Grace, Charlie and Claire); Brian Nichols; Grant Nichols III (and his wife Janel and two grandchildren, Hannah and Reid); his daughter Sarah Fellwock (and her husband Bart); his sister Joyce Kees; and his brother Geoff Nichols (and his wife Micki), along with many nephews and nieces.

Grant’s greatest passion, hands down, was anything related to aviation. His father was a pilot for Trans World Airlines (TWA) for 30 years and he passed down the love of flying to his sons. Grant received his pilot’s license at age 16, and the first plane he flew was a Piper Cub. He never ‘looked down’ again. Grant was a licensed commercial pilot in both single- and multi-engine planes, and he was also certified as an instrument pilot in single- and multi-engine planes. He shared his love for the sky with his brother and best friend, Geoff. The last plane Grant flew was a single-engine Mooney M-20C which he dearly loved and owned in a partnership with his brother and others.

Career-wise, Grant spent four years as a full-time pilot flying sprayers starting in the mid-1960s and joined the Naval Reserves in 1968, serving for seven years, including six months active duty where he received specialty training as an airplane mechanic. As part of his service, he flew as a flight engineer on a Navy anti-submarine warplane, taking training runs off the coast of Washington State twice a year. Grant served once a month at the Industrial Airport in Gardner, Kansas (now called New Century Airport), until he retired from the reserves. He spent the majority of his career working for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an Air Traffic Controller at the Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center in Olathe, Kansas, where he retired after 25 years of service. He then went on to work as a contract consultant for the FAA reviewing designated airways and small airports to check compliance with federal aviation rules, making recommendations for changes to promote runway safety. Grant retired from this work in 2012.

In their younger years, Grant and Kendra were very busy raising their large blended family and were determined to raise their kids as a unit, which is often challenging in those circumstances. There were no ‘stepchildren’ or ‘half-siblings’ in their household, and it was very important to them that all their kids were treated the same and thought of each other as family. As a testament to their love and devotion to their family, all of Grant’s and Kendra’s children remain in close contact to this day. Just as they were partners in life, Grant and Kendra also discovered they had both been born at the same hospital three months apart, and Grant never missed the chance to remind Kendra she was older than him. He was an avid reader in his free time, loving everything from Tom Clancy novels to non-fiction military history. His favorite book of all time was "Fate Is the Hunter: A Pilot’s Memoir" by Ernest K. Gann, and he still had his tattered copy of the book by his bedside when he passed. Later in life, Grant traded his joy of flying for the joy of cars. He owned and loved driving his favorite car of all time, a light blue Honda S2000, which his daughter purchased from him and now enjoys driving in his memory.

Grant’s children hold several dear memories of their Dad. They were one of the few families who had a father who said, “disregard and hang up” instead of “nevermind,” or “affirmative” instead of “yes.” And “negative” instead of “no,” or even the aviation-ese “roger that” for “okay.” His dry sense of humor was legendary, and those who knew him enjoyed his great love and compassion for others. Grant will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at d.41 @ Dalton’s Flowers at 8135 Santa Fe Dr., Overland Park, Kansas, 66204 on Saturday, March 7, 2020, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Multiple System Atrophy Coalition: multiplesystematrophy.org/msa-donation.