Chae U. Nicholson Obituary (1937 - 2017)

Chae Nicholson passed away quietly on Sunday Morning, October 29th, 2017. She was 80. Chae was the loving and proud wife of James R. Nicholson Sr. She was also a loving and devoted mother to her three children, Sandra Dee, James Jr. and Nancy. She was a survivor of the Korean War, impoverished and orphaned at a young age, but was determined to make a good life for herself and determined to have a happy family. She met her husband in 1961 when he was a handsome young enlisted soldier in the US Army, stationed in South Korea. She was young, smart and beautiful. They quickly fell in love, got married, had kids and worked as a team while he was promoted to Warrant Officer while they were stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. They were lovingly devoted to each other until his death in 2004. Chae was an Honors Graduate from Fayetteville Beauty College. This was an exceptional accomplishment because she did this later in her life, with a language barrier, while still raising three children and working fulltime. In spite of being the eldest student in her class, she made fast friends with all her young classmates and triumphantly graduated with Honors with a degree in cosmetology. She faced many obstacles as a foreigner in this country, but overcame them and kept a cheerful demeanor. She remained an optimist throughout her final days. Her favorite quotes, which she spoke often were: "Life is BEAUTIFUL!" and "Be POSITIVE! Just think about the Positive!" and most impactfully..."I love you...". She frequently spoke these words and she always lived by them. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a loving heart that defied description. She loved to laugh and she loved to make people laugh. She was a diligent servant of the Lord and praised Jesus everyday in gratitude. She buried her only son in 2016 after a heartbreaking two year battle with Leukemia at Chapel Hill. Chae is now survived by her 2 daughters, Sandra Dee and Nancy Ann, and her beloved son-in-law, Lindy McGhee of Autryville. Her daughters wish to acknowledge the very bright and beautiful light of their mother's loving heart and soul. "She was everything." She loved this country and appreciated and acknowledged every bit of kindness that was ever shown to her and although she was orphaned by war as a child, she demonstrated an eternal and unconditional love for her family that defied all odds. She was an overcomer. She made a decision to be happy. She was compassionate, gentle and quick to apologize and she was thoughtful beyond belief. She took care of everyone around her. She provided her children with everything they needed or asked for, especially as it pertained to higher education. Her son was born with special needs but she worked diligently to nurture him to become and achieve to his fullest ability. With her love and support, he became a happy and productive young man and spent many happy years working with his sister and brother- in- law, Nancy and Lindy McGhee at their farm in Autryville until his untimely death in 2016. Everyday, without fail, Chae gave thanks and prayed for blessings over her family and everyone she loved. She loved animals, and she cared for her pets as diligently as she did her own children. Chae also loved classical music and supported and encouraged her daughter Nancy with her musical and scholastic efforts and as a result, Nancy graduated with honors from high school and college with a BSN in nursing. Bitter sweetly, Nancy's nursing achievements provided her with invaluable medical skills which she used to care for her father, brother and mother during their illness and in their final hours. Chae put her eldest daughter, Sandra Dee, through school to study art and psychology and empowered her to move to Los Angeles in 1995 to pursue her creative endeavors. Chae experienced the joy of seeing her daughter's artwork featured and credited on "Oprah". Sandra became a successful, sought after muralist to the stars in Los Angeles for 16 years but returned to Fayetteville in 2010 to reunite with family. Sandra opened an art studio in historic downtown Fayetteville at 235 Old Street. It was last year in her daughter's art studio that Chae painted for the first time in her life. On two separate occasions, she painted two beautiful "happy" paintings while in the art studio with both her daughters. At the age of 80, she found that she had a natural gift for drawing and painting also. Since Chae devoted her life to taking care of her family, she never found time to explore art for herself, but she still encouraged her daughter Sandra to pursue her love for art and creativity. As a result of her mother's blessing, Sandra has enjoyed working as a successful professional artist for over 35 years. Chae battled heart issues in recent years. Surgery afforded her a bit more time to be with her son and daughters. Her daughters want everyone to know that it was a privilege and a blessing to have Chae as their mother and they are grateful they were bestowed the utmost honor of caring for their mother in her final years. Chae is now reunited in the kingdom of heaven, deservedly so, with her beloved husband and son. Matthew 25:23..."His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Visitation is 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Sunday, November 5 at Adcock Funeral Home in Spring Lake. Funeral service to be held on Monday, November 6 in the chapel of Adcock Funeral Home followed by interment at 2 PM at Sandhills Veterans Cemetery on Fort Bragg, NC. Chae's beautiful bright light continues to shine in the starry night sky Condolences may be made at adcockfuneralandcrematory.com