Fred Nicholson

Fred Nicholson, 93, passed away on November 7, 2023. He was born on October 10, 1930 in Birch Tree, Missouri to William and Myrtle Nicholson. He was the seventh of eight children born to them. Fred played high school baseball and enjoyed spending time at Alley Springs and Jack’s Fork, Missouri. Fred joined the Army and served in the Korean War from 1952 to 1954. After returning to the United States and moving to Kansas City, he took different jobs with General Motors and Allivine’s Dairy.

In 1956, Fred married Jolene Morris. Fred enjoyed repairing and restoring vintage cars, especially Chevrolets, to supplement his income. He was a highly skilled automotive mechanic, which is hard to find these days. We will miss his ability to take what some people would say is a piece of junk and turn it into a work of art. Fred had such skill in this field that he went into business for himself in 1968 with business partner Dave Bruner. The two opened an automotive repair shop that served their community for over thirty years. Their shop was the focal point on Leavenworth Road for great car repair and even better friendships. Fred was also the President of the Piccillo Players, which included several guys that hung out at the garage as much as they could. He continued his career in cars by doing body work at Wayne’s Body Shop, also on Leavenworth Rd. No matter where Fred spent his time, he was always everyone’s friend.

While he was the best at making a car shine like new, his favorite job and title were “Grandpa” and “Great-grandpa.” You could usually find him in the basement playing games for hours with his granddaughters Kaitlin and Kelsey, without ever winning a game. He often said his favorite game was “school,” where Kaitlin was the teacher (at age 9), and Fred the student. Fred found it entertaining that Kaitlin would fail any assignment she gave him. The girls loved having him at every summer softball game. You could always look up at the top bleacher, even on a 105° day, and see their biggest fan. Fred was very lucky to have been able to spend time with his three great-grandchildren, Jett, June, and Finn, the last several years.

Fred is preceded in death by his parents; his daughter Diane; brothers Claude and Leland; sisters Ruth, Ruby, Nell and Helen; brother-in-law Don Nicholson; and nephew Bart Nicholson. He is survived by his wife Jolene, of the home; son Mark and his wife Becky of Shawnee, KS; granddaughters Kaitlin Smith and her husband Garrett of Overland Park, KS, and Kelsey Sniegowski and her husband Adam of Grandview, MO; great-grandsons Jett Smith and Finn Sniegowski; great-granddaughter June Smith; sister-in-law Shirley Nicholson; nephews Gary Nicholson, Jerry Nicholson, and a niece Susie Cooney.

A Visitation will be held on Saturday, November 11, 2023 from 10 to 11 am at the Amos Family Funeral Home in Shawnee, KS, with a Memorial Service to follow at 11 am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Veterans Community Project , or to Project Access, a dance class through Seamless Dance Company for children and adults with different abilities.