Ralph A. “Hap” Nicholas III
Ralph A. “Hap” Nicholas III, of Butler passed away peacefully on Thursday in his sleep at Butler Memorial Hospital at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer.
He was born Sept. 18, 1948, in Butler, and was a son of the late Ralph A. “Hap” Nicholas Jr. and Mary Alice Bialock.
He was a fun-loving and very social person. He was also an incredible husband and father.
Mr. Nicholas graduated from Butler High School in 1966, and attended Washington and Jefferson College and graduated in 1970, with a degree in psychology. Hap met his beautiful English wife, Victoria, in Bermuda in 1970, while on a family vacation, leading to a 43-year marriage.
Hap loved American history. He was a joke teller and somewhat of a prankster, often acting out the jokes he told with his multiple foreign accents, impersonations and character voices.
He loved musical theater, taking leads in many productions with his favorite part being that of Fagin in “Oliver.”
Hap always had a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face that was highlighted by his trademark handlebar mustache. He was a poet, artist, calligraphist, collector of people and an avid letter writer.
Retired, he was a former owner of Nicholas Enterprises and president of WACB Radio Station.
He was a member of Covenant United Presbyterian Church and an active member of the Butler Elks Lodge.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Victoria Nicholas; their children, Ethan (Kimberly) Nicholas of Cranberry Township, Adam (Rebecca) Nicholas of Butler, and Colby Nicholas of Butler; his grandchildren, Espn Deal and Annie Baker-O'Donnell; his siblings, Rebecca Lila (Jesse) Grenet, Lisa (David) Konesni, Christopher (Jayne) Nicholas, Joshua (Scott Peterman) Nicholas and Samantha (Matthew) Drohan; and his stepmother, Olga Nicholas.
NICHOLAS - A memorial service for Ralph A. "Hap" Nicholas III who died Thursday, July 5th will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 230 E. Jefferson St., Butler PA on Saturday July 14th. Guests will be received at the church from 10:00a.m.-12:00p.m., and the memorial service will take place at 12:00 noon. A gathering after the service will follow at the Nicholas home in Butler where we will share our favorite ‘Hap stories.’ Casual attire and no black please.Arrangements were handled by Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, 124 E. North St., Butler.In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Nicholas Family Scholarship at SRU. Check memos should read Nicholas, and can be made out to Slippery Rock University Foundation, Slippery Rock University, 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock, PA 16057. If you have any questions, please contact Erin at ebryer@srufoundation.edu or by calling (724) 738-4611.Information and a private guest book are available at www.thompson-miller.com.
