William Jess "Deacon Bill" Nickerson, Sr. of Compton, MD, passed away on December 11, 2024, at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. He was born on December 25, 1934, in Livingston, Montana to his parents, the late Jess William Nickerson and Clara Wilde Nickerson.

Deacon Bill is predeceased by his loving wife of 65 years, Shirley Marie Mattingly Nickerson, and son, Mark Aloysius Nickerson. He is survived by his children, Valinda "Wendy" (Bob) Schaller, Mary (Tom) Shields, Barbara (Russ) Frazier, Nick (Maria) Nickerson, Jr., Vicky Nickerson, Margaret Nickerson Rorex, Michael (Betty) Nickerson, Tracey (Billy) Schrader, and Peter (Barbara) Nickerson. He is also survived by 27 grandchildren, 52 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

Bill was an only child who attended Catholic School and enlisted in the Navy at 17 while in high school. He finished high school in Oklahoma while in aircraft maintenance training. He was stationed at NAS Patuxent River and married the oldest child of a very large local family a year later. They had 3 daughters at the base hospital. He was assigned to the USS Ranger (CV-61) in charge of missile ordnance. The Ranger was the first American aircraft carrier laid down as an angled-deck ship. He was on the crew when the ship was commissioned and sailed from Norfolk, Virginia around Cape Horn to Alameda, California. With another child, a son, born on base in California, he left active duty and drove his young family cross country back to St. Mary's County. He continued in the Navy Reserves, and his family grew by another 6 children. He continued in public service in the U.S. Government Printing Office, eventually retiring as lead publication and printing officer responsible for multiple locations in Maryland, Washington DC, and the Pentagon.

Following government retirement, Bill had a calling that led him to become a Deacon in the Catholic Church, something he was extremely proud of. He wanted to give back to his community as a servant of the Lord. He and Shirley had raised their children, and he could now focus on the church. He entered the 5-year diaconate program with the Archdiocese of Washington and was ordained in 2002. Shirley accompanied him on countless drives to Washington DC during his studies. He served as Deacon at St. Francis Xavier Church until his retirement in 2015 and continued to serve on the altar and support the parish until he became ill a few years ago. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Missionary Council 10957.

Deacon Bill loved his family of so many offspring including all the in-law members who joined the Nickerson family. He was the life partner and sole care giver for his wife and love of his life, Shirley Marie. Aside from family, he always had a passion for race cars. He could build a race car from the ground up, was a roll cage specialist, and an excellent mechanic, a skill he passed on to his sons. He was part of Nace Mattingly's NASCAR crew that raced at Daytona Beach and other major tracks, rubbing elbows with many elite stock car drivers. He went on to drag racing with Russell Plunkett, then spent many years with his own car racing local tracks with the crew of Gene Monroe, Tub Delahay, and Bobby Pilkerton. All of Bill's racing friends are predeceased. They all shared the same racing passion, they worked hard and played hard, with many nights celebrating at Pennies. Bill remained an avid NASCAR fan, attending many races with his friends. He had an equal interest in football, especially following his favorite team, the Washington Redskins.

His early life was challenging, but instructive. His father was blinded just before he was born in an accident building roads in Yellowstone National Park. He said his father could plant a garden by feel. Bill became a voracious reader at a very young age and passed this along to his children. He continued to read the Catholic Liturgy Missals daily until recently. Finally, he never lost the connection to his birthplace in Montana. Both his parents are buried in the St. Francis Xavier Church cemetery. It took a career and almost 40 years for Bill to return to his homestead. And over the succeeding years he visited several times, taking many from his family to see the Big Sky country he knew so well growing up. Deacon Bill will be remembered for his steadfast devotion to his family, his faith, his church, and his community, whether near or far.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, December 19, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Father Ted Hegnauer at St. Francis Xavier Church in Compton, MD. Interment will be on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 9:00 am, on Deacon Bill's and Shirley's Anniversary.

Pall bearers will be grandsons, Emmett Schaller, Chris "Bunky" Insley, Nicky Nickerson, Wayne Carter, Paul Norman, and Ryan Nickerson. Honorary pall bearers will be grandsons, Bobby Schaller, Brian Nickerson, Colin Nickerson, and David Nickerson.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Newtowne Manor House, 21370 Newtowne Neck Rd., Leonardtown, MD 20650. Please mark "Manor House Restoration" on the memo line of a check.