Earl T. Nicholson Sr. (Lansing)

Earl Tucker Nicholson, went from labor to reward on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at his residence in Lansing, Michigan, at the age of 92 years old. He was born on Sunday, August 28, 1932, in Columbia, Tennessee, entered this world on a sharecropper farm as the seventh of nine children to Granville and Ardena Nicholson. He attended and graduated from Carver Smith High School in Maury County at the age of 18. Shortly thereafter, Earl was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving honorably for 23½ months during the Korean War in Japan and Korea. Upon his discharge, he returned to Columbia and began his search for work.

In 1956, Earl’s brother William encouraged him to move to Lansing, Michigan, to pursue better opportunities. That same year, he returned to Columbia to marry his beloved wife, Florence Evelyn (Renfro) Nicholson. Earl worked at the Kellogg Center at Michigan State University before beginning a career at Fisher Body in April 1963, where he worked in car assembly. After three decades of dedicated service, Earl retired as a supervisor in 1993.

Earl’s favorite pastimes were golfing, traveling, and cherishing time spent with friends and family. Baptized at an early age, he was deeply rooted in his faith and played a pivotal role as a charter member in the founding of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, where he remained an active and devoted member throughout his life. Earl served faithfully on the Trustee Board for many years and directed the Seasoned Saints Ministry. He was passionate about honoring the church’s seasoned members, organizing annual programs, trips, and singing with the Seasoned Saints Choir.

Known for his generosity and kind heart, Earl often put others before himself. On one occasion, his children returned home from school to find their bicycles missing—he had gifted them to a single mother in the neighborhood. He replaced the bikes that same weekend. In winter, he would water down the backyard to create an ice rink, so his children and neighborhood kids wouldn’t have to walk seven blocks to St. Joseph Park to skate.

Earl leaves behind a legacy of love and cherished memories. He is survived by his four children: Cheryl Nicholson (Lansing, MI), Kimberly Nicholson (Detroit, MI), Earl Nicholson II (Lansing, MI), and Nelson Nicholson and his wife, Niconna (Thompson) Nicholson (Lansing, MI). His memory lives on in his six grandchildren: Nicholas and Meneka (Johnson) Nicholson (Selma, AL), Casey Nicholson (Detroit, MI), Marquis Thompson-Nicholson (Lansing, MI), Marshon Campbell-Nicholson (Lansing, MI), Nabria Nicholson (Lansing, MI), and Nelson Nicholson II (Lansing, MI); one great granddaughter Athena (Lansing, MI), and his honorary son, Travis James (Lansing, MI). Earl is also survived by his brother, Thessley Nicholson, and his wife, Yvonne (Lansing, MI), along with a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. 

He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Florence Evelyn, whose loss he deeply felt; his parents, Granville and Ardena (Lockridge) Nicholson; his siblings: William (Bernice) Nicholson, Granville (Marie) Nicholson, Thomas (Sarah) Nicholson, Mary (Thomas) Turntine, Rosie (Nathaniel) Todd, Woodia (Claude) Browne, and Lora (Sonny) Dunn.

Earl Tucker Nicholson will be remembered as a man of faith, family, and boundless generosity. His legacy will continue to inspire all who knew and loved him.