By Mallory Waligora, For The Oakland Press
Richard “Dick” Nicholas served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, has hiked the Swiss Alps several times and skied until he was 87.
On Friday, Nicholas celebrated his 102nd birthday and adventurous life with friends, family over a special lunch request of Kentucky Fried Chicken at the Flourish Collection in Oakland Township. Among his gifts was a hiking trip to Stony Creek Metropark in September with his daughter, giving him another chance to enjoy nature.
“He did not want all the focus to be on the Navy, and hiking is what he’s always loved to do,” said Andrea Flood, executive director of Flourish Collection, a senior living community. “He said that’s how he and his wife connected. We just thought it would be cool to get him a hiking gift from all of us to be able to enjoy with his daughter.”
At Friday’s celebration, Nicholas was given a U.S. Navy challenge coin, a small metal medallion, honoring his military service and state Rep. Donni Steele, 54th District, presented him a certificate honoring his life and special birthday.
Richard “Dick” Nicholas celebrated his 102nd birthday and a life of adventure on Friday in Oakland Township. (MALLORY WALIGORA, FOR THE OAKLAND PRESS)
“Reaching this extraordinary milestone is a rare and meaningful accomplishment, one that reflects a lifetime of perseverance, dedication, service and hard work,” Steele said.
Nicholas was an avid skier, rigorous hiker and bird watcher, his family said. Nicholas and his family traveled throughout the U.S. and
Canada and hiking in multiple U.S. National Parks.
After attending Cooley High School in Detroit, Nicholas worked as a lathe operator. In May 1944, he enlisted in the Navy and after training became a quartermaster on a Landing Craft Tank (LCT) amphibious assault ship designed to transport heavy tanks directly onto enemy beaches.
A wedding photo of Richard “Dick” Nicholas and his wife, Mary, displayed during his 102nd birthday party. Mary died in 2017. (MALLORY WALIGORA, FOR THE OAKLAND PRESS)
Nicholas’ ship was among those to be involved in the invasion of Japan, but he credited the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 with ending the war and possibly saving his life and the lives of thousands of other American servicemen.
After the war, Nicholas returned to Detroit and earned a mechanical engineering degree from Lawrence Technological University with help from the GI Bill.
He worked for 32 years at Chrysler as a body and seating engineer, working on cars such as the K Car, the Dodge Caravan and the Plymouth Voyager.
However, he credited his life with Mary, who died in 2015, as his biggest adventure that spanned 65 years.
Originally from Canada, Mary worked as a registered nurse in Toronto. The pair first met while she was visiting her aunt in Detroit.
Judy Evans, Nicholas’ daughter, explained that the aunt lived next door to her father and told him he should “take her out and show her Detroit.”
Richard “Dick” Nicholas and his daughter, Judy, during his 102nd birthday celebration on Friday. (MALLORY WALIGORA, FOR THE OAKLAND PRESS)
Nicholas was a hesitant at first but was soon won over by her passion for hockey—and ability to get tickets.
“But then she said she could get tickets to any game, because a lot of the doctors had Maple Leaf tickets, and the Red Wings were playing the Maple Leafs,” Evans said. “So she got tickets and called my dad. They went to the game, and he was smitten.”
Soon after their first date, Nicholas asked her to marry him. After returning from a long-planned trip to England, she said yes.
Together they raised two daughters, Judy and Shirley, who died in 2023.
After his retirement in 1986 from Chrysler, the couple traveled to Europe and New Zealand.
A two-week hiking trip in the Swiss Alps hooked them on hiking and they returned as often as possible, bringing back their friends and daughters in the following years.
Nicholas credits the secret to a long life to staying active, being outside and choosing adventure.
“He is a very happy man. He has a sense of adventure and a love of the outdoors,” Evans said. “He had this love of life who was a phenomenal nurse.”