Miklos Nicolson - Obituary
Mike S. Nicolson was born Miklos Szucs in Budapest, Hungary, on April 10, 1937. He passed away at home on February 18, 2026, at the age of 88, with his beloved wife, Anne, by his side. He was preceded in death by his parents, Miklos Szucs Nicolson and Maria Lederer Szucs Nicolson. He is survived by his devoted wife of over 60 years, Anne Elizabeth; his brother, Laszlo Scuecs and wife Linda, his daughters, Amanda Nicolson and Corinna Nicolson; his grandchildren, AnnaBelle Adams, Zavier Adams, and Arlo Davis; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Miklos was, at his core, a survivor. As a child in 1940s Hungary, he endured the terror of both Nazi and Communist regimes, followed by years of separation from his immediate family. This trauma in early childhood marks one for life, but for Miklos, the response would be remarkable. During his adolescence, he spent time in Switzerland before immigrating to the United States at the age of 14. These early hardships shaped him profoundly, yet they never hardened him. Instead, they forged in him a deep resilience and a remarkable capacity for hope.
Less widely known was Miklos's extraordinary athleticism. At age 12, he swam nearly the length of Lake Geneva-an early sign of his strength and determination. In the United States, his talent earned him a place in a special swimming company in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was also an accomplished fencer, winning the U.S. Saber Championship in 1958. His early years in America took him from Enid, Oklahoma, to service in both the Marine Corps and Merchant Marines, and back to Oklahoma again-where, in 1965 at the University of Oklahoma, he met the love of his life, Anne.
Miklos and Anne shared a marriage of more than six decades. Their life together carried them from Kentucky to Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and finally to California, where they made their home for the past 20 years. Along the way, they raised two daughters and gathered countless friends and loved ones into their lives-many of whom became family, loved and nurtured as their own.
Before entering ministry, Miklos pursued a creative path. In the 1960s, he worked as an actor and director, later becoming a professor of speech and drama at Western Kentucky University. In the mid-1970s, he felt called to ministry. After graduating from Iliff School of Theology, he served United Methodist churches in Nebraska and Oklahoma for more than 20 years. His pastoral work was marked by compassion, steadiness, and an extraordinary ability to sit with others in times of sorrow or crisis. Having transformed his own trauma into empathy, he offered calm strength and genuine presence to those who needed it most.
Miklos was also a survivor in later life, living more than fifteen years beyond a cancer diagnosis. Through every season of his life, he chose not anger or bitterness, but love, and in fact, grew in this capacity with every passing year. He remained a lifelong learner-intellectually curious, philosophically reflective, and deeply respectful of each person's lived experience. He believed that every individual carried a spark worth seeing and honoring.
After retirement, Miklos discovered his Jewish heritage and embraced it with openness and gratitude, finding new understanding and meaningful family connections. His passion for connection led him into inclusive study groups that bridged faith traditions. Labels never mattered to him; what mattered was the light within another's soul. He nurtured that light in every interaction. He never met someone unworthy of his smile, his time, or his playful, thoughtful questions-each one an invitation to draw closer to the person right in front of him at that very moment.
Miklos cherished people. He cherished his friends. He cherished his wife and children. His life was a testament to resilience, faith, curiosity, and love. He will be deeply missed and forever cherished by all who had the privilege of knowing him.