Bruce P. Nichols

Bruce Py Nichols died at Hospice Savannah on July 13th surrounded by his family. He was a long time resident of Isle of Hope where he shared many wonderful years of marriage to his wife Judy Martin Macolly. They would have celebrated their 25th anniversary on July 25th. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 34 years, Mary Lynn Henderson Nichols, his older brother Sterling Nichols and his eldest daughter Julie Nichols. He leaves behind one daughter, Stacy Collins, two grandchildren, Meagan Collins Downing and Christopher T Collins III, and one great grandson, Thomas Downing. He also enjoyed special relationships with Judy’s children Lisa Macolly Joselove and Mark Macolly along with her grandson, Brody Macolly.

Born in 1937 in Lorain, Ohio to parents Sterling Ramsdel Nichols and Maybele J Py Nichols, Bruce graduated from Howe Military School in Indiana in 1955. He served in the Ohio National Guard and graduated from the United States Military Academy West Point in 1961 after which he entered active duty in the Army serving in Panama, Puerto Rico, Viet Nam, Germany and Stateside. While in the Army, he earned a Master’s Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling. He also attended numerous advanced military schools. He retired in 1981 as a Lieutenant Colonel with the end of his military career focused on law enforcement (MP).

After retiring from the Army, he and his family moved to Savannah where he held positions with Dector Counterintelligence Security, C & S Bank (later retiring from Bank of America), Stein Accounting and Gamble Funeral Service. Bruce was an active member and volunteer with several Episcopal churches throughout his life. He was also a docent at the Andrew Lowe House, an active member of the West Point Society of Savannah, a past board member of Savannah Speech and Hearing and was serving on the Board of The Friends of the Coastal Gardens, a non-profit that supports the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the time of his passing.

Bruce and Judy were true partners in life. One of their most challenging and fond experiences was building a second home in Cashiers, North Carolina. They spent nearly 20 years traveling back and forth from Savannah to their mountain getaway. Bruce was lover of all animals and he and Judy had numerous cats and dogs during their years together. He liked to visit the Humane Society after which he often tried to talk her into adopting more pets. Bruce was an extremely social person who looked forward to visiting with the friends in his Sandfly coffee group each week in recent years. Never one to be idle, he loved working outside in the yard, cooking, reading, woodworking, and watching his beloved Army Cadets play football. In later years he also became an avid UGA Bulldog fan. Bruce’s most marked characteristics were his can-do attitude and call to service. He always had time to help others and enjoyed volunteering and performing small acts of kindness. He was a uniquely positive person with a zest for life that was infectious. He always led with kindness and lifted others up with his sunny disposition. Bruce will be deeply missed by his family and many friends.

A funeral service will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 3 West Ridge Rd on Skidaway Island at 11am Saturday July 22nd followed by a reception in the church Parish Hall.

The family extends their deepest gratitude to the nurses and staff in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital and at Hospice Savannah for their compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Peter’s Church, The Friends of Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, or The Humane Society of Greater Savannah.