William H. Nicholson 

July 16, 1929 – May 15, 2022

William H. Nicholson, a longtime resident of Princeton New Jersey, sadly passed away in South Surrey, BC, Canada after his recent pleasant stay at his retirement community Amica White Rock on May 15, 2022, with family at his side.

Bill (as he preferred) was born in Ottawa, Canada on July 16, 1929, to Harold and Luella Nicholson. William was married to Shirley Hunt on August 29, 1952, in Ottawa, Ontario. Once William completed his Ph.D. studies at Queen’s University they moved to Montreal where he worked as a Chemist for Merck Sharp & Dohme.

During this time Bill and Shirley had their two children, Pam and Mike. After a short stay in Montreal, the family moved to Lansdale, PA, where they lived for over 10 years. In that time, he continued to work for Merck and went to Temple Law School at night where he earned his Juris Doctorate degree in 1970. In 1971, Bill became a Patent Attorney for Merck and worked his way up to Senior Patent. As one of the first to have had a Chemical background, Bill set the standard for all the incoming Patents going forward. In 1973, the family moved to a house on Turner Court in Princeton, NJ, where the family enjoyed 47 years in the Princeton community. While there, Bill enjoyed spending time with a group accomplished friends called the ROMEOs — Retired Old Men Eating Out — at the Princeton Shopping Center, having his daily morning coffee.

In early 2020, Bill and Shirley moved back to Ottawa, Canada, to stay at Stirling Park Retirement Community where they spent some quality time with Shirley’s sister Beverly Swords. 

After Shirley passed away in December of 2020, Bill moved to Amica White Rock Retirement Community in South Surrey, BC, Canada to be near his son Michael and family who he said many times, were a great help to him. 

Bill and Shirley enjoyed the ocean and spent many summers at their home in Barnegat Light, NJ, on LBI. During the winter holidays, they would spend time in Puerto Rico enjoying the sun and relaxing with friends. 

William is survived by his two loving children, Pamela Lahoda, her husband Eric, Michael Nicholson, his wife Sarun; his grandchildren, Sarah and Jason Lahoda, Mya, Sofie, and William Nicholson Jr.; and his sister-in-law Beverly Swords.

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Richard A. Hanson

Richard Arthur Hanson, “Dick,” passed away on May 19, 2022 from Parkinson’s disease. Dick lived most of his life in Fair Lawn, Wyckoff, Skillman, and Princeton, New Jersey, He is survived by his wife of 64 years, and two children, Craig and Alex and their spouses, Liz and Laura, as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held privately.

Dick was born on April 8, 1936 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After eight years there, and a stop in West Texas, his family moved to Bergen County, New Jersey, where he met his high school sweetheart, and later wife, Carol Jadick, while walking home from fourth grade. 

After graduating from Fair Lawn High School, Dick attended Cornell University, graduating in 1958 with a degree in economics. After four years in ROTC, he joined the Marine Corps where he served in the 1st Marines Division, 5th Regiment based at Camp Pendleton, CA, where Craig was born. Dick next joined the Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., where he spent 18 years rising to become the youngest executive appointed to Senior Vice President to that point. The family settled in Wyckoff, NJ, where Alex was born. He served in many roles, including as head of all the New York City retail branches, and later as head of all middle-market lending. Dick left Chase to work briefly for an industrial company, and then joined Merrill Lynch. Dick and Carol soon moved to Skillman, where he held a number of executive positions including head of industrial lease financing (which when sold accounted for 25 percent of Merrill’s earnings one quarter) and building and leading the Working Capital Management Account business, WCMA, which is still a major Merrill product group. Dick was widely respected as a strong, successful leader and mentor to many aspiring colleagues.

As members of the Nantucket Angler’s Club, Bedens Brook Club, and Nantucket Golf Club, he was an avid sportsman, particularly in golf, fishing, and shooting. Dick retired around the age of 60 and focused on these things. He loved introducing people to fishing for bass and bluefish on the beaches of Nantucket, and took great interest in a wide range of people. In his once Midwestern or Texas fashion, he always said hello to everyone he passed or met anywhere.