William J. Nichols, 59, of Summit Township, passed away Friday May 22, 2020 at his residence following a valiant battle with appendix cancer since 2014. He was born in Erie the son of Virginia Bailey Nichols of Erie and the late William Nichols. Bill was a graduate of Tech High School class of 1978. After high school Bill went on to work at General Partitions. Bill joined the Kearsarge Volunteer Fire Department in 1981 and became an EMT. Bill worked as an EMT at EmergyCare Ambulance Service for 15 years after which time he went to his current position of Airfield Maintenance and Fire/Rescue at the Erie Regional Airport Authority, Tom Ridge Field. Bill enjoyed his job at the airport and was always fascinated by history and airplanes. He was a member of the Kearsarge VFD for over 30 years where he served in various capacities including Chief for eight years. Bill enjoyed being on the water, spending time on his boat, and going to the peninsula. He also enjoyed traveling, especially to his favorite place Honolulu, Hawaii. Bill enjoyed being with his family and looked forward to holidays when everyone got together. Bill loved animals and will be greatly missed by his dog, Butter. In addition to his mother, Bill is survived by his wife of almost 18 years, Chris Metzger Nichols; one brother, Jeff Nichols and his wife, Patty; three sisters, Debbie Smith and her husband, Jeff, Karen Ireland and her husband, Kevin, all of Erie, and Diane Gargiulo and her husband, Joe, of Medina, OH; a brother in law, Mark Metzger and his children, Riley and Cassidy Metzger, of Erie. Bill is survived by Cathie Parks, who was like a daughter to him, and her husband, Mike, and their children, Mike and Bella. Bill is further survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews whom he loved dearly. Funeral arrangements were made by the Russell C. Schmidt & Son Funeral Home Inc., 5000 Wattsburg Rd., Erie, 16504. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family in Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made to the Humane Society of NWPA, 2407 Zimmerly Rd., Erie, 16506; Lakeland Area Hospice, 4635 E. Lake Rd., Erie, 16511; or a charity of one's choice. The family would like to thank Dr. Rothman and everyone at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and Lakeland Area Hospice for all of their support and guidance.