WALTERBORO: Lee Holloway Nichols, Sr., husband of Norma Jean Hiers Nichols for 59 years, passed away peacefully Friday morning, April 14, 2023, at his home in Walterboro with his family beside him. He had been under hospice care. He is in Glory now with his Savior, Jesus Christ. He was 88 years old, a veteran of the United State Navy, a pastor, and an International Missionary for the Southern Baptist Convention.
Lee was born in Selma, Alabama. to Walter Pitts Nichols, Sr. and Annie Lee Holloway Nichols of Marion, Alabama on December 21, 1934. He and his elder brother, Walter Pitts Nichols, Jr., enjoyed a wonderful childhood in Marion until the early death of his beloved father. His resourceful mother picked up the pieces and he and his older brother learned early how to deal with difficulties, but their peaceful lives continued. He was brought up in the Siloam Baptist Church and was mentored by the pastor and the high school coach who brought his young men through the teen years as Christians who lived a life filled with sports that majored in character building as well as athletics.
After high school graduation, he chose Auburn as his university and enrolled in the Naval ROTC program. He became a true Navy man and was extremely grateful for the training and the experiences that provided. After graduating from Auburn, he went immediately into the Navy as an Ensign and spent the next 3 very productive years in the Navy, mostly onboard the USS Hooper, a destroyer escort vessel that had just been commissioned. He worked hard and learned well from his commanding officers who learned early that he could be trusted. Despite the call of the Navy to stay and make a career, however, he had felt a higher call from the Lord to minister to spiritual needs of international people, so from the Navy, he moved on to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he studied for the next three years and met his future mate for life. After graduation, he accepted the call of a new church in Northeastern Ohio to help them establish their church, Faith Baptist Church, in Newbury, Ohio. He and his new wife lived in Ohio for the next 3 ½ years, helping them to grow their church, find land and build a lovely church building, but the call to continue the progression to the international areas led them to leave that growing church in early 1967 to go to South Korea as missionaries.
The family had now grown by one with the arrival of Lee Nichols, Jr. in 1965, but shortly after their arrival in Korea in March, 1967, a second child, Ted, arrived on May 2, 1967, and was joined by their daughter, Lynn, in November, 1968 to complete the family. After successfully completing the two-year language training needed to begin his work in South Korea, the family was assigned to work in the North and South Chulla Provinces in South Korea in church planting and development. This work continued very fruitfully for the next 29 years. During this time Lee also helped to develop a church loan fund that proved to be very successful and to teach young future pastors at the Seminary how to use Greek in sermon preparation. He published a book in Korean on these Greek study principles that is still being used in Korean seminaries today.
After 31 years in South Korea, he and his wife were requested to work among Korean speakers in other countries and they had to leave their second homeland to move on to spend another 10 years in other places before they retired and returned to Walterboro to make their home. He was a member of First Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife, Norma; two sons, Lee H. Nichols, Jr. (Maria) and Ted Nichols (Donie) and one daughter, Lynn Murphy (Robin); and 8 granddaughters: Alyana, Jessica, Alex, Mikayla, Bethany, Al Yves, Emma, and Renae.
Lee was a highly respected, humble man who loved people and loved to see others succeed in their work. He was an encourager and delighted when his co-workers excelled. His was a life well spent. Now he has gone to his final home with our mighty God.
The family will welcome friends from 10 AM on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the First Baptist Church of Walterboro, SC 29488 for a visitation time. The Memorial Service will follow at 11 AM. The Eulogy speakers will be Robin Murphy and Dr. Charles Sands and Rev. Jim Williams will be the pastor-moderator. Music will be provided by Mrs. Pat Johnson and Robin Murphy. Lunch will be served in the Fellowship Hall after the Memorial Service for the family and out of town guests.
In lieu of flowers the family is requesting that contributions be made to the Lee Nichols Memorial Fund at the First Baptist Church of Walterboro, 124 South Memorial Avenue, Walterboro, SC 29488.
Parker-Rhoden Funeral Home, 117 Paul Street in Walterboro is in charge of arrangements.
