David Dresslar Nicholson

David Dresslar Nicholson has finished his time on earth. He belonged to God, recognized Jesus as his Saviour and well knew that his family and the close friends he made everywhere he traveled worldwide loved him with a passion. 

Indeed, he was beloved, and if you knew him, you would recognize these features as described by his family: 

David was the funniest and most entertaining. He was the life of every single one of our parties. He might say that it was sometimes a lot of responsibility to bear when he was not actually always feeling happy, that he had to act a part, but for a fact he was naturally hilarious, witty, magnetic, winsome, and charming. 

David loved truth and justice. We never had to worry that he was going to be swayed by off-base principles because his ability to call the bull on bull was astounding. He saw through agendas, had the skill of a diplomat and the love and consideration and sensitivity not to take someone down for the sake of winning an argument. It was just beautiful.

David was a hard worker. He did not cut corners. He understood what it took to accomplish big things and was willing to put in the time and the effort to do it. David ran a marathon when he was thirteen years old, one of many ambitious goals he set and swiftly attained through the sheer force of his strong will. High goals were well within his reach because he lived by a simple formula: hard work = excellent results. 

David was a brilliant artist. His way with words, his eloquence both in candid speech and in writing, his music writing and playing, his eye and ear for beauty in photography, in nature, in songwriting, in sound, in design. He was a sensation as an artsy perfectionist – such a rare and stunning combination.

David was simply a good friend. By his nature he saw what someone needed and found ways to give it – whether in serving, cleaning, tutoring, unloading the dishwasher or whatever practical thing needed doing, he responded both instinctively and calculatedly. He stood for people who needed an advocate and he defended the oppressed. Especially in the last months of his life he expressed his deep feelings for outcasts and perhaps that’s part of why he went to the darkest places where he recognized every person in that scene as deserving love. He took time to listen to their stories and know their hearts – he identified with “the least of these,” seeing himself not as better but as one among them.

His Life Story: David spent the majority of his younger years with his family on the Tibetan Plateau of Western China, landing there when he was a few months old. In 2013 he moved with his parents (Mark & Dana Nicholson), his brother (Bowen Nicholson, now married to Poem Nicholson) and his sisters (Scottie and Ellis Nicholson) to North Carolina and helped to establish NOMAD Farms in Tobaccoville. David was an Eagle Scout, graduated with Honors from R. J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, and won the Morehead-Cain Scholarship to the University of North Carolina. He was an avid runner, surfer, skateboarder, and outdoorsman. 

David is survived not only by his devoted family members as named above, but also by his grandparents, Tom & Marilyn Nicholson of Winston-Salem, David & Earla Creech of Raleigh, and Jenny Reddick of Pennsylvania as well as a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins who all adored him. We thank God for giving David to our family.

Funeral services will be held at 3:00 pm Sunday, August 25 at Reynolda Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, followed by his burial at NOMAD Farms to be attended by family and close friends.

There will be a vigil held on Saturday night (August 24) at the Nicholson’s home (6301 Doral Drive, Tobaccoville, NC 27050). You may come by anytime after 7:00 pm. This will be a time of prayer, scripture reading over the body, and a time to visit with the family and share memories of David. 

In lieu of donations, David would love for you to identify any homeless person and befriend him/her, giving whatever the person may need.