Obituary of Thomas W. S. Nichols

Thomas William Slocum Nichols passed away on September 9, 2021, at the Blue Hill Hospital surrounded by loving family. Born January 11, 1938, in New York City, Tom was the son of William and Isabel Nichols. He spent his early childhood on Long Island where he attended the West Side School in Syosset, followed by the Green Vale School in Glen Head, NY, and the Pomfret School from 1952-1956, where he was a member of the crew team. After Pomfret, Tom joined the Marines before attending the University of Pennsylvania and then completing his BS in Economics at New York University. In 1965 he married Susan Sim of Langford, England and moved to the UK, where he studied agriculture. The marriage was short-lived he returned to New York City around 1966 and began work as a loan officer at Manufacturers Hanover Trust on 72nd St. and Broadway. It was here that he met the love of his life, Sheila Noonan Macellari, while she was delivering flowers from her nearby plant shop, A New Leaf. It was love at first sight and the beginning of a 50-year relationship. In June 1973, Tom and Sheila married. He then began working as a stockbroker for Collins and Day. In 1984, Tom and Sheila moved to Portland, Maine where Tom worked as a broker for Livada Securities. After ten years, Tom and Sheila moved into his family home in Deer Isle, Maine where they adoringly tended to a succession of canines, among them Patches a Shih Tzu, and finally Polly, a long-haired dachshund. Tom was a regular attendee of the Tuesday morning men’s breakfasts at Stonington’s Harbor Café, and was a devoted member of the Deer Isle Yacht Club and Deer Isle Congregational Church which he attended every Sunday. After Sheila’s death in 2019, Tom moved into Deer Isle’s Island Nursing Home. Tom was an excellent sailor who always made everyone feel at ease while enjoying day sails on Isabel, the family Bullseye. He was perhaps happiest when he was tinkering with, fixing, and caring for his family cottage. He was always well-dressed in a crisply ironed shirt and tie. Ever the old-fashioned gentleman, he was courteous and kind and would never fail to stand when a lady entered the room. He is predeceased by his half-brother, Willard Baldwin, his sister Mary Ellen Fahs and his wife Sheila Nichols. Tom is survived by his stepson Dion Macellari, nephew Thomas Reade Fahs (Melissa) and niece, Katie Baldwin Eng (Randall). He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. A memorial service will be held this coming summer to be announced at a later date.