Henry Gilliam Nicholson, Jr.

The second child of Gwen and Gilly Nicholson, he was born May 19, 1950 in Tarboro, NC, where he grew up walking to school with his big sister, Hannah; skipping kindergarten to go visit his grandparents; and outfitting his tricycle to be his own little firetruck. At the sound of the sirens, he grabbed his Texaco fire helmet, his bunkbed ladder (every firetruck needs a ladder), hopped on his tricycle, and raced the firetrucks down the street. Before too long, his sister, Gwen, and brother, Bill, were born, and Gilliam became “big brother” of the family.

The Nicholson family moved to Raleigh in 1958, and Gilliam spent his youth riding his bicycle all over Raleigh, working at Winn-Dixie in Five Points, becoming a sensation on the drums, and forming a ten-person band, The Sensations. Gilliam loved soul music, especially The Temptations, and he modeled The Sensations after them—even choreographing their dance moves to look like “The Temps.” His passion for music and the drums continued throughout his 72 years, and he called his years in the band some of “the best years of my life.”

Also in 1958, Gilliam began his tenure at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. In his 65 years at St. Michael’s, Gilliam played a role in just about every area of the church, minus being an actual minister himself—although he probably would have donned a clerical collar if it got him access to “behind the scenes” fun. He had his hands in countless things at St. Michael’s over the years, including serving three terms on the Vestry; helping form the Committee structure of the church; serving as Chairman of the Building Committee; and overseeing the construction of the Transept, which saw him becoming unofficial archivist, taking 1,800 photos of the construction process, and putting him on the discipline end of the construction supervisor, who found Gilliam, just after sunrise one morning, clambering up the scaffolding to get a better look.

Gilliam met the love of his life, Margaret Bramham—also from Tarboro—in October 1977, when they were both living in Raleigh at the same apartment complex. It was “love at second sight,” as the two had played together in kindergarten and second grade twenty years prior. Gilliam and Margaret were reintroduced by a mutual friend at the Pizza Inn on Lake Boone Trail, and Gilliam knew that very night he was going to marry her. Six short months later, he was right. He proposed to her on the steps of St. Michael’s right after Christmas, and they married on April 29, 1978 and celebrated, laughed, and loved fiercely through nearly 45 years of marriage. They were the very best of friends and the very best example of love, support, and soulmates. In 1983, they welcomed their first and only child, Catherine, and she spent the next 39 years adoring the very ground her daddy walked on. He loved cheering her on to chase her dreams and be her own person; he was so proud of her. Together they shared a love of music, a mischievous sense of humor, and would say “yes” to any idea the other pitched. They loved egging each other on and playfully giving Margaret a hard time, both of which may or may not have given Margaret a few gray hairs along the way. What a good sport.

His love of firetrucks lasted his entire life. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he always had the latest fire scanner in his bedroom, so whenever he heard the distant wail of sirens, he could quickly grab his scanner and find out what and where the activity was—and he’d hop in the car and go watch the firetrucks in action. By the 2000s, scanner technology became “so daggum complicated,” and he was content to hear sirens go by and catch all the activity on the evening news.

Construction was no different. The man loved it. He knew where every active and upcoming construction project was in Raleigh and beyond, and he loved spending his free time driving all around and watching the bulldozers at work. For years, he kept a hard hat in the back of his truck, so that he could drive on and walk around construction sites without hassle.

A member of the insurance industry since 1978, Gilliam was a highly respected, compassionate, successful businessman for 42 years. He worked alongside his dad, Gilly Nicholson, until 1997, which he was so proud of and deeply cherished. Gilliam retired with pride in 2019 from Parrott Insurance and Benefits, knowing he upheld his values and morals and did so much good for people throughout his entire career.

One of the highlights in his extracurricular life was being named and serving as Chairman of the Convention and Performing Arts Center Commission from 1996-2003—what a source of joy and pride. Gilliam relished the opportunity to be so hands-on with the planning and construction of one of downtown Raleigh’s biggest and most successful projects.

Gilliam was a graduate of Atlantic Christian College and a member of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. Some of his best memories included his Delta Sig brothers, and he cherished the friendships that he kept with them for the rest of his life. His brothers were such a source of love and support for Gilliam and his family.

He is preceded in death by his father, Henry Gilliam Nicholson; his mother, Gwen Nicholson; his nephew, Hubie Poteat; and many others dear to him.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Margaret Bramham Nicholson; their daughter, Margaret Catherine Nicholson, and her husband, Steve Smith; his only granddaughter, Margaret Olivia Smith; his older sister, Hannah Nicholson Poteat, and her husband, Bob; his younger sister Gwen Nicholson Barringer, and her husband, Bubba; his younger brother, Bill Nicholson, and his wife, Sharon; his many nieces and nephews and their families; his cherished friends; and his St. Michael’s family. He loved his people so fiercely and so deeply cherished every single person in his life.

A celebration for Gilliam and his wonderful, loving life will be held at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church (1520 Canterbury Road) on Friday, March 24, at 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to The Holy Michael Foundation at St. Michael’s.

We will look for him in every sunrise, every birdsong, and every sunset, and we know he will be there.

“Good to see you, Gilliam.” “It’s good to be seen.”

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary’s Street is assisting the family.