John M. McNickles, 80, went home to the Lord on Saturday April 13, 2013, with his devoted family gathered around him. John was born in Meridian, Mississippi, on March 20, 1933, one of eight children born to Cliff and Fannie (Gaddis) McNickles.
     He grew up in segregated Mississippi during the Jim Crow era, where he met and married the woman who would be his wife for the next 60 years, Lucille (Fluker) McNickles.
     John worked at the uranium-enriching Oak Ridge Nuclear Research Center in Tennessee, and later worked on clearing the land for the building of Disney World in Florida. He settled in Worcester in 1963 and for ten years owned and operated J. McNickles & Sons, an asphalt paving company, leaving his mark throughout Worcester on projects such as the I-290 expressway. He later formed Bay State Scrap Metal and Salvage, a business he ran for 28 years until his retirement in 1998. John often assisted people who were down on their luck by putting them to work. He was an active member of Mt. Olive Pentecostal Church and a life-long learner who enjoyed fishing, nature, and the outdoors. A role model for his children, he demonstrated perserverance and strength, and he encouraged them to forge their own paths rather than to accept the status quo. A charismatic man, John had friends from all ethnicities and economic backgrounds, from the wealthy to the homeless. He was loved by all and will be greatly missed.
     He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Lucille; his seven children: Marilyn McNickles, Shirley A. McNickles, and Ralph McNickles, all of Worcester; Kenneth E. McNickles and his wife Brenda of Sutton; Dr. Joyce McNickles and her husband Carlo M. Baldino of Sutton; Myron B. McNickles of Worcester; and Dr. Christina Swaidan and her husband Salah of Windsor, CT; seven grandchildren: Cynthia, Myron Jr., Melissa, Matthew, Ethan, Faris, and Ilyas; and many nieces and nephews.
     Friends and relatives are invited to visit with the family during calling hours Friday April 19th from 5 PM to 8 PM at Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, 370 Plantation St, Worcester. The funeral service will be held at 12 noon on Saturday April 20th in the Mt. Olive Pentecostal Church, 60 Highland St., Worcester. Burial in Worcester County Memorial Park will be held privately.
     Flowers are accepted. For those who prefer not to send flowers, a memorial contribution for a scholarship fund in his name can be made to the Mt. Olive Pentecostal Church Scholarship Fund, 60 Highland St., Worcester 01609. The family would like to thank the staff at the Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center of Worcester for the loving care they extended to the entire McNickles family and Maura Gavin of VNA Care Network and Hospice.