David Trenton Nicholson, Sr. (1952 – 2023)

David Trenton Nicholson, Sr., 71, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend of Front Royal, Virginia, passed away August 4, 2023, at Winchester Medical Center due to chronic medical issues, with his loving family by his side.

David Trenton Nicholson, Sr.

David was born January 6, 1952, in Front Royal, VA, the son of the late Reid H. Nicholson and Elsie Edwards Roland.

He is survived by his wife, Debbie, of 53 years. They made a great team and built a loving family together. Also surviving is a daughter, Kendra Fox, and husband Brian; a son, Trent and wife, Amanda; three grandchildren, Natalie, Alex, and Silas; a step-brother, Wendei Davis, and wife Debbie, and their two daughters, Andrea and Malika and sister-in-law Emilie Woodward.

David was reared in Flint Hill, VA, and spent his first six years near his father’s family home. During his high school years, he excelled in every sport he aspired to learn: track (placing first in District 10 Competition in the high jump, the first member of Warren County’s track team ever to win this honor), basketball, and football (co-captain).

In his adult years, he enjoyed bowling (a 299 high in 1997), fishing, and golf. He shared his sports knowledge during the eight years of coaching his daughter’s girl’s softball team and six years coaching his son’s boy’s baseball team, as well as umpiring the games.

He and a friend saved a 13-year-old girl from drowning at the Front Royal boat landing, almost losing his own life to do so, as the water hydraulics pushed Dave down over and over again until he could thrust off a rock to the surface and then pull her to safety.

Dave’s working years began driving heavy equipment constructing I-66 in Warren County and Rt. 340 towards Luray, VA.  He worked for eight years in the engineering department at Avtex Fibers. He won Millwright First Place in the Twelfth Annual State Carpentry Apprenticeship Contest in 1979 from J.C.A.C. of Washington, D.C., becoming a member of the Mid Atlantic Regional Carpenters Union (included Millwrights).

Much of his union working career was spent in Baltimore, MD, at the Giant Food Heidi Bakery, where he earned the nickname “MacGyver” for his infinite mechanical engineering resourcefulness. He designed and constructed a four-level conveyor for bread dough within one second, replacing a supervisor’s purchase of a never used $5,000 timing machine. Following the closing of the bakery, he continued with the Union at the Library of Congress and power plants in Deep Creek, MD, Morgantown, WV, and Salem, NJ.

His keen sense of humor, wealth of knowledge, and loving, supportive nature will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Services will be private.