Gregory Raymond Nichols

Chief Warrant Officer Gregory Raymond Nichols of Grimes, Iowa died on April 26, 2025. His daughters were by his side as he took his last breath after prolonged struggles with Lynch Syndrome, cancer, and Parkinson's Disease. He was 64 years old. 

Greg: Son, Brother, Dad, Uncle, Opa, Chief Nichols. He is survived by his mother, Mary Fay (Chuck), father, Gary, and former wife and mother of his children, Regina. His legacy lives on in his children, Gina (Mark), Joshua (Kyra), and Alyssa (Nate); and his grandson, Garrett. He was preceded in death by his brothers Gary and Grant. 

Greg faithfully served his country for 41 years and deployed as a Platoon Leader in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. When thanked for his service, his response was always, “It was my honor to serve”. He enlisted on April 11, 1978 and retired as a CW3 after 23 years of active duty Army service on February 29, 2001.  Following his Army retirement, he continued his service as a Department of Defense contractor with the Iowa Army National Guard. His awards include: Army Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars, NCO's Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral 2, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Kuwait Liberation Medal.

Greg spent his lifetime traveling the globe; he was born in Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey on June 23, 1960 and grew up in Turkey, Eritrea, California, and Indiana. He attended North Side High School in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and graduated with honors from Central Texas College and the University of Maryland. He spent his Army career in Hawaii, Okinawa, South Korea, Arizona, Germany, Iowa, and countless temporary duty stations. He loved to tell people that each of his children had been born on a different continent; Gina (Asia: South Korea), Joshua (Europe: Germany), and Alyssa (North America: USA). Upon retirement from the Army, he put down permanent roots in Iowa by planting lilacs, which burst into bloom on his final day on Earth. 

Those who knew him loved and respected him. He was an incredible, kind, intelligent, funny, and honorable man. He was a multi-talented Renaissance man; guitar player, singer, actor, and gifted writer. He had a refined, eclectic taste in music and was a loyal sustaining member of Iowa Public Radio. He was a guy who knew everything about everything; he would have been excellent on Jeopardy. He loved to spend time with his family, build computers, tend to his plants, travel, read, ski, and run with his dog, Caesar, who also left us too soon. 

Greg drew his strength from his family and he will live on in our hearts and memories. We are grateful to know that he is finally at peace and no longer suffering. The family would like to extend a special thank you to everyone involved with his care at the Des Moines VA Hospital and CLC Hospice; you are all angels on Earth and we are profoundly grateful for your care, compassion, and kindness. 

Greg will be interred in a private ceremony at Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel, IA. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Greg’s honor to any of the following organizations:

• VFW: Veterans of Foreign Wars

• Iowa Public Radio

• Lynch Syndrome International

• Colorectal Cancer Alliance

• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research

Alternatively, please plant a tree or flowers in Greg’s memory. He especially loved lilacs.