Funeral services for Dr. Carl Grady Nichols, Jr., 92, of Leland will be at 3:00 p.m. , Sunday, April 19, at First Baptist Church, Leland. He died Thursday, April 16 at his home. Burial will follow in the Beulah Cemetery.
Carl Nichols was born Sept. 1, 1922, the son of Carl G. Nichols, Sr. and Lottie Mae Souter Nichols in Pace, Mississippi. At age 10, he moved to Rosedale and in 1940 graduated from Rosedale Consolidated High School. Upon graduation he entered the University of Mississippi as a Civil Engineering student until he was called to active duty in 1943. While at Ole Miss, he served as president of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and was a member of the R.O.T.C.
On April 27, 1944 Carl married Mary Jane Myers of Cleveland, and they began married life in Gainesville, Texas where he was stationed at Camp Howze. He served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S Army Infantry, 410th Infantry Regiment, 103rd Infantry Division. His combat experience included the winter campaign of 1944-45 in France and Germany. Among other medals, he was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star.
From 1948 to 1952, he continued his education at the University of Mississippi, receiving a B.A. degree in Chemistry and Mathematics and a B.S. degree in Anatomy and Physiology. During this time he served as president of the UM Chapter of the Student American Medical Association and as a member of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity, O.D.K., and Pi Kappa Pi National Scholastic Honor Society. In December 1953, he received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee and in 1954 began a practice in Leland which would continue for 47 years.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church and served as president of the Leland Rotary Club. He was named a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International in 1992. Carl was a member and past vice president of the Board of Trustees of Delta Regional Medical Center and the Board of Trustees ofLeland Academy. He was a long time member of the Terrapin Club and was honored as king of the Leland Junior Auxiliary Charity Ball. A highlight of his career was serving as the Senior Aviation Medical Examiner, F.A.A. where he spent much of his time engaging with other pilots. He was a Fellow of the Society of Abdominal Surgeons, a Charter Diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice, a Charter Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, UMC. He served as Chief of Staff for many years at W.S. Witte Memorial Hospital in Leland and was on staff at King’s Daughters Hospital and Delta Regional Medical Center prior to his retirement in 2001.
Carl was preceded in death by Mary Jane, his wife of 65 years and a son-in law, Dennis R. Burke. He is survived by four children, Martha N. Oseman, Janie N. Burke, Lottie Mae (Jim) Dawkins, and Carl G. (Liese) Nichols, III; eight grandchildren, Stephen (Angela) Oseman, Dudley B. (John) Couey, Dee (Emily) Burke, Will (Leah) Dawkins, Rob (Paden) Dawkins, Jane Marie Dawkins, Carl Nichols, IV, and Phillip Nichols; seven great-grandchildren, Garren Couey, Kirkland Couey, Jack Burke, Walker Dawkins, Sidney Dawkins, Myers Oseman, and John Grady Oseman; a brother, Malcolm S. Nichols of San Diego, California and a dear friend, Maie Pope Bell. He was lovingly cared for by Ericka Tory, Rennard Johnson, and Renna Brown.
Visitation will be at 2:00 p.m. Sunday at the church. The Rev. Jon Doler will officiate. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Baptist Church of Leland, P.O. Box 286, Leland, Mississippi 38756, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, or the charity of the donor’s choice.