Kent Clark Nichols, 62, of Topeka, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Saturday, April 16, 2022.
Kent was born in Topeka, Kansas, on May 23, 1959. Kent graduated from Highland Park High School in 1977. He obtained a Bachelor's in Arts from Washburn University in 1986. Kent's senior year he was the Editor of the Washburn Review newspaper.
Kent recently moved back to Topeka, Kansas, to be close to friends and family in his fight against cancer. Kent strongly recommends rigorous cancer screenings.
Journalism was not just Kent's job; it was his calling. Kent was a life-long journalist and worked for numerous newspapers across the nation, including the Topeka Capital-Journal (Kansas), Atchison Daily Globe (Kansas), Sedalia Democrat (Missouri), Mitchell Daily Republic (South Dakota), Peninsula Daily News (Port Angeles, Washington), Tallahassee Democrat (Florida), Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nevada), and most recently the Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin).
Kent is survived by his parents, Rita A. Nichols and Kenneth L. Nichols, brother Rocky Nichols, sister-in-law Wendy Nichols, sister, Ronda Ellis and brother-in-law Bob Ellis. He is also survived by many great friends and members of his extended family.
Kent was preceded in death by his sister, Risa.
Kent loved his University of Kansas Jayhawks and was incredibly stoked to see his Jayhawks Men's Basketball team win their sixth national championship. He also was a fan and closely followed his Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs football team, even when he worked far away.
Kent loved to laugh and to spend quality time with his friends and family. He was a lover of exceptional rock music, stand-up comedy and the great outdoors.
Kent zealously supported the profession of journalism and the need to have local journalists holding the powers-that-be accountable. As such, memorials can be directed to the nonprofit States Newsroom at https://statesnewsroom.salsalabs.org/KentClarkNicholsMemorialDonations/index.html.
A celebration of Kent's life will be at 11 am, Saturday, April 23, 2022 at the Overbrook Bible Church, 719 Western Heights Dr., Overbrook, Kansas, 66524. Lunch will be served after.
Dove Southeast Chapel, 2843 SE Minnesota Ave. is assisting the family with service arrangements.
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