Sterling Ramsdell Nicholas, Jr., was the first son born to Maybell and Sterling Ramsdell Nichols in Lorain, Ohio on 20 July 1930. He always dreamed of entering West Point. Following graduation in 1955, he proceeded to marry Patricia Ann Ryan, with whom he had three daughters: Robin, Randi, and Tracey. This marriage unfortunately ended in divorce 12 years later. After three years of living a lonely life dedicated solely to his work and daughters, he remarried to Ana Patricia Herranz de Nichols, (a woman of Spanish descent living in Guatemala), with whom he had a daughter, Ana Carolina, in 1975.
He received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1955 and was sent by the Army to Fort Richardson, Alaska, where he was in charge of a construction program involving the rehabilitation of living and working facilities. In 1960, he was sent to Great Falls, Montana, where he was also involved in a construction project. In that same year he received his Master’s degree from Texas A&M. In 1963, he was sent to Vietnam, where he worked on logistics systems. In 1965, he spent a year in Fort Lewis, Washington, responsible for planning, programming and assisting in the execution of military exercises. In 1966, he was sent to Quito, Ecuador, where he was responsible for the cartographic program in Ecuador. The results of all duties assigned to him were always above par, as he was a diligent and responsible man. He was on the verge of becoming a lieutenant colonel when unfortunate personal circumstances forced him to retire, which he did with regret in 1969. This decision, though unavoidable, weighed heavily upon him for the rest of his life.
After resigning from the Army, he worked for some years with the Agency for International Development, first in Ecuador then, after 1972, in Guatemala City, where he continued to work With an AID contract for the Ministry of Agriculture. He finally resigned in 1979. His always inquisitive nature led him to study several but mess endeavors until he finally became enthralled with Persian rugs, and thus opened what was to become a very successful business dedicated to different decoration aspects: sales of Persian rugs, antiques, wall to wall rugs, and furniture. A few years before his death, he opened another company, dedicated to the maintenance of rugs and furniture. In both businesses he demonstrated his outstanding managerial skills and great business sense. He was a hard-working and dedicated man who kept all his sufferings to himself. He finally succumbed to cancer on 10 September 1992.
He was a loving, noble, honest, just, and intelligent man, who left a legacy of strength and rectitude to the members of his family, who will always cherish his memory.
Patricia de Nichols