James B. Nickerson
1934-2009

LEWISTON — James B. Nickerson, 74, of 130 North Temple Street, Lewiston, died Sunday, Nov. 8, at the d’Youville Pavilion.

Born on Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Jim was the only child of Allen M. Nickerson and Addie Bell (Smith-Newell) Nickerson. At the age of seven, he moved with his parents to Somerville, Mass., where he attended public schools.

After graduating in 1952, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and became a radio technician. He spent time in San Diego, the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and the Azures in Portugal interpreting and decoding messages from enemy ships. He was honorably discharged in 1955 and became a United States citizen in 1956.

Jim was also a member of the order of Masons at the Masonic Lodge in Stoneham, Mass. In the 1960s, he worked for Avco Space Systems in Wilmington, Mass., as a pattern maker crafting the heat shield for NASA’s Apollo Space Program. When the program ended he moved his family to Yarmouth. While living in Yarmouth, he worked for several years at Pineland Hospital as a building maintenance supervisor.

During that time, Jim took a position with the State of Maine Licensing Team. In that role, he was the Health Facility Specialist for nursing homes and hospitals in the State of Maine. He retired from that position in 2001. He continued to function as a Health Facility Consultant on a contractual basis for the State of Maine until 2005.

In the 1970s Jim designed and built his own home on the ocean. Jim loved fishing for mackerel and blue fish and loved eating fresh caught lobster on his deck over looking the water. He enjoyed boating and took great pride in his carpentry, electrical and plumbing “projects.” He was an enthusiastic participant in the martial arts and achieved the rank of Ni Dan (second degree black belt) in Shotokan Karate after the age of 60.

Surviving Jim are his wife of eight years, Deborah Fongemie Nickerson; his two daughters, Shirley Jean Leeman and her husband, Dick, of South Portland, and Janice Christine Anthoine and her husband, Tom, of Lewiston; and five grandchildren, James B. Leeman and his wife, Heather, of South Portland, Jeffries A. Leeman of Buxton and his wife, Selena, Thomas J. Anthoine IV of Waltham, Mass., Meghan C. Anthoine of New Port, R.I., and Catlin E. Anthoine of Dillon, Colo., and Lewiston; two great-grandchildren, Emily and Dylan Leeman; his former wife, Merrilyn K. Nickerson Greene of Auburn; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.