Eric George Nichol

It is with our heavy hearts to share that Eric Nichol has passed away on May 4, 2024 at Kaiser Hospital in Sacramento. He was deeply loved by his parents George and Edith Nichol, his siblings Dana (Patty) Nichol, Jennifer (Hafiz) Hassan, and Laurie (David) Osborne, and by his nieces Freya and Sylvan.

He will also be missed by his many boyhood friends, members of the Davis community, fellow distance runners, fellow golfers, and professional colleagues. 

Eric was born in Sacramento at Sutter Hospital on April 12, 1966. He attended Sutterville Elementary in Sacramento, Albert Schweitzer Elementary and John Barrett Jr. High in Carmichael, and Del Campo High in Fair Oaks. He was very active in Boy Scout Troop 200 in Carmichael, earning his Eagle Scout Award in 1980 at age 14. He went on to participate in the Scout’s Order of the Arrow for several years and served a term as the Maya Lodge Chief.

He went on to the University of California at Davis and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering, and to California State University Sacramento where he earned a Master of Science degree in civil engineering. For most of his career he worked as a civil engineer at the California Department of Water Resources in Sacramento, with his later years working in its Flood Division. Eric was registered as a Professional Civil Engineer in California.

Eric was an active runner, and over the years participated in several running clubs in the Sacramento and Davis areas. This was one of his greatest joys. He loved the friendliness of the groups and the visits to the coffee shops after the runs. He ran the Western States 100-Mile run from Lake Tahoe to Auburn, where he earned the Silver Belt Buckle for finishing in less than 24 hours. He was an avid reader of science and history, and always had a bundle of books waiting to be read. Many of these books he would later pass on to his father to read.  

Eric enjoyed traveling and visited many states and countries.  He enjoyed golfing and playing many of the local courses as well as the friends he made there. He was also an avid gardener.