Oliver Nicholas of Huron and formerly of Watertown, passed away on December 8, 2016, peacefully in his sleep. A memorial service to celebrate his life was held Tuesday, December 13 at 11:00 AM at the First United Methodist Church, Huron. Burial was held at 3:00 PM, Tuesday in the Mt. Hope Cemetery at Watertown.
Oliver John Nicholas known to his family and friends as Nick or O.J. was born in Ree Heights, South Dakota on June 19, 1918, to his parents Alfred and Delia. The sixth of ten children he had wonderful memories of skiing and sledding the hills of Ree Heights. He earned many pins for consecutive attendance in Sunday School, and helping others by charitable acts was one of the most rewarding aspects of his life. A 1930 Model A Coupe was but the first of a lifelong passion to own cars.
Nick's first job was working on a farm for 15 cents an hour. He graduated from Ree Heights High School in 1936 and attended Yankton College. He entered the teaching profession and completed his Bachelor's Degree from the University of South Dakota in 1949 and Master's Degree in 1953. Education has always been a priority in the Alfred and Delia Nicholas family. All ten of their children which included Nick's three brothers and six sisters graduated from college, and many of them also earned Masters or Doctorate Degrees.
Nick taught in several school districts and advanced to superintendent. In Estelline he introduced a new sport: football. The basketball playing floor is dedicated to the 1949-1950 Estelline Redmen who were coached by Nick to a perfect 24-0 season. He also coached the Junior Varsity that year who posted a 24-0 season. In 2001 the Class of 1951 presented Coach Nicholas with an honorary plaque "For Your Teaching And Guidance Which Had A Lasting Effect on Building Our Character And Knowledge." Nick taught the last 27 years of his 41 year teaching career at Watertown, SD. He served as a football, basketball, and track coach for the majority of those years. His love of sports called him to be a basketball and football referee at many weekend high school sporting events.
Oliver met LaVonne Brugger at a dance in Tulare, South Dakota, in October of 1941. He loved the fact that she was a great dancer. They were married on June 14, 1942, at the Methodist Church in Canton, South Dakota. Nick and LaVonne's first child was daughter, Dianne and their second child was son, George. Their marriage lasted a lifetime of 74 years. Their love of dance and music was a mutual bond which they shared with their closest friends in Watertown every Saturday night at Sunnyside Inn on Lake Kampeska. This passion for music and dancing was passed on to all of their family. They were also certified dance instructors who taught in both South Dakota and Minnesota, and they traveled anywhere in the US where they could dance, traveling as far away as Hawaii to dance to Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians Orchestra directed by their personal friend, Al Pierson.
Nick and LaVonne were faithful members of the Watertown Congregational Church where he served on various boards and was a member of the adult choir. In Huron, Nick was a member of the Presbyterian Church and served as a Deacon. Nick was a life time member of the National Education Association and a South Dakota delegate to the NEA National Convention in New York City in 1954. He was also a member and served in various offices for the Elks, Rotary, Masons, Yelduz Shrine and the James Valley Shrine Club Fire Crew. His hobbies included playing the trombone, bowling, 35 mm slide photography, pheasant hunting, golf, horseshoes and every imaginable card game.
Nick was a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather and a friend to many. He is preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Hoyt and Wayne; and sisters, Gladys, Amy, Charlotte and Nadine.
He is survived by his wife LaVonne; daughter, Dianne (Ivar) Kaardal of Sioux Falls; son, George (Barbara) Nicholas of Huron; grandchildren. Troy (Karen) Leonard of Sioux Falls, Kari (Mazen) Haj-Hussein of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Christie (Andrew) Hentzen of Wichita, Kansas, Robert (Elizabeth) Nicholas of Albuquerque, New Mexico and Michael Nicholas of Vermillion; great-grandchildren, Christopher Leonard, Andra (Chad) Husman, Graham Leonard, Ava Leonard, Kaylor Scudder, Phillip Scudder, Malek Adair, Leyla (Tyler) Sparks and Charlize Hentzen, and great great-grandchildren, Salea Sparks and Harrison Husman; two sisters, Shirley Elaine and Doris; one brother, Kenneth; and numerous nieces and nephews.