Obituary of Richard "Dick" Michael Nicki

It is with deep sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Richard "Dick" Michael Nicki at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital on October 22, 2024 with family by his side.

Dick was born to John and Mary (Rutkauski) Nicki in Hartford, Connecticut, and was predeceased by his parents and his only brother, John. He arrived in this world on December 25, 1936, a day that ruined Christmas for his six-year-old brother. His parents were of Lithuanian heritage, his father having immigrated to the United States as a young man. His mother was born in England on the way over. The origins of the name that became Nicki remain unknown but may have been Nagrodski. This was an obvious change to ease blending into American culture.

Dick was a man of good humour and even a prankster at times. He is survived by Jayne, his loving wife of 58 years; his children Elizabeth, Andrea, Alexander, and Geoffrey (Umi), and grandchildren Veronica Nicki and Avery Beck. He is also survived by Rita Nicki the widow of his brother, John; Jayne’s sisters, Karen Macintyre and Jerrie Kenny; a niece, and two nephews.

He was always called Richard by his family and friends in the United States, but was Dick to most of his Canadian friends. In 1958, he graduated from the University of New Connecticut in physics and mathematics. From 1960 to the fall of 1963, he was employed as a physicist at Electric Boat, a division of General Dynamics, and at the US Navy Underwater Sound Laboratory. A bonus experience was a work assignment in Bermuda. For a short period of time he enrolled at Rutgers University in graduate physics, but soon realized his academic interests lay elsewhere. While an undergraduate at the University of Connecticut, he had taken courses in undergraduate and graduate history which resulted in an MA in history in 1961. He also did night courses in psychology through the University of Rhode Island and Mitchell College which led to the career that consumed his interest and passion for the rest of his life.

He left the United States in the fall of 1963 to undertake the adventure of moving to Canada. The draft was no longer a major threat to men of a certain age, but there was lingering apprehension. At the border he asked the customs official if the University of Toronto was a good school because that was where he was heading for graduate school.

He received his MA in psychology in 1965 and PhD in the fall of 1968, having become an assistant professor at the University of New Brunswick in 1967. He served in a number of positions, including acting assistant dean of the Graduate School, graduate director and then chairperson of the Department of Psychology from 1997 to 2003. He was also a practising licensed psychologist and published numerous articles on such clinically relevant topics as smoking cessation, eating disorders, worry among the elderly, post-traumatic stress disorder, and problem gambling. He was tireless in mentoring efforts with both undergraduate and graduate students and supervised more than two dozen graduate theses. At the 2003 convocation, he was named professor emeritus.

Beyond the retirement age of 65, he continued to counsel students in the Department of Psychology. The joy of his life was teaching and generally being involved with students. Retirement was never a positive word in his vocabulary.

Renaissance man is an expression that is used to define a person of many talents and areas of knowledge. Dick can lay claim to that title. He worked on gaining some proficiency in both German and Chinese and voraciously read history books. He also spent a great deal of time behind the lens as a photographer creating hundreds upon hundreds of slides over the years. There were many family nights spent showcasing his work in front of the slide projector screen.

Outside of academic work, he became an enthusiast and expert in hands-on fields like painting his large, old house inside and out, applying wallpaper, refinishing floors, building a deck and fence, roofing the garage, and searching the countryside for paving stones to produce a backyard path.

Staying fit was key to his healthy longevity. Walking up the hill to his office in Kierstead Hall every working day was a time he relished. He was an avid cross country skier, hiker, squash and tennis player, and fisherman. He also liked to play bridge.

Dick was a lover of travel and was fortunate to have experienced many wonderful trips. For a number of years, he and Jayne took spring hiking trips with their son, Alex, in the western US. They travelled frequently with cherished friends, Joan and Joe Price, whom they met on sabbatical in England in 1973. As well, they travelled to far-flung destinations such as Antarctica, Israel, Tanzania, Lithuania, Australia, and Taiwan.

The family sincerely thank the staff of the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital for the attention and care given to Dick and his family during the five months he was there. To the consternation of his wife, he would often tell visitors that the hospital cooking was outstanding and sometimes would say it was better than hers.

Visitation will take place at McAdam’s Funeral Home from 2:00 to 4:00pm and 6:00 to 8:00pm on Sunday, October 27, 2024. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Dunstan’s Church on Monday, October 28, at 11:00am, followed by a reception at the Monsignor Boyd Family Centre. The service will be live streamed at the following address: https://vimeo.com/event/4678131.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Dick’s memory to The Fredericton Playhouse which was central to his love of the arts.