Ernst William Nickel Sr.

Ernst William Nickel Sr. (Nick), 88, of Murrysville, passed away peacefully at his home on May 12, 2025, surrounded by his family.  He was born on May 8, 1937, son of the late Ernst R. Nickel, and Mathilda F. (Meyer) Nickel.  In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife, Jean (Thonen) Nickel. Ernst is survived by his daughter and son, Katherine Nickel (Gregory) McFaden, and Ernst William Nickel Jr.; his grandchildren, Ryan Gregory McFaden and Amanda Jean McFaden; his sister, Barbara Nickel Beisel.

Nick grew up in Fox Chapel and was a Shady Side Academy and Robert Morris College graduate. Nick met his wife, Jean, while she was at Chatham College and they married shortly after her graduation in 1961. They had 48 wonderful years together, but not nearly enough!

After graduating from Robert Morris, Nick became a CPA and in 1971 was a founding partner of Nickel, Beisel & Company, CPA’s. He loved spending time with his clients, and many became his closest friends. His daughter, Kathy and her husband, Greg, loved working with him and will continue his legacy with the company.

Nick and Jean had so many wonderful friends that they loved to spend time with having dinners parties, and bridge games. One of their favorite traditions was hosting their 4th of July parties! Nick always supported Jean’s gardening passion and helped her create her dream of turning the woods behind their home in Murrysville into an amazing “Park” that won the first competition for the best garden in Pittsburgh!

Nick was a devoted father and was always there to volunteer for Kathy and Nick’s activities, including getting up to drive to those early morning practices during tax season. After Nick Jr.’s tragic accident, Nick was always there for him through all the challenges life presented. Nick took up golf after meeting his son-in-law, Greg, and really learned to love the game. Nick was an avid Pittsburgh Sports fan and adopted Kathy and Greg’s school, the University of Virginia, as his favorite college team!

Nick’s greatest joy was being a “Pop Pop” to his grandchildren, Ryan and Amanda! There was nothing he loved more than spending time with them and getting to travel to many places with them including Aruba, Hawaii, and Disney while going on adventures like roller coasters, flying over a volcano, and deep-sea fishing! He was so proud of all of their accomplishments and was very excited about their following in his business footsteps, especially Ryan’s BS/MS from NYU Stern School of Business and career at PwC in NYC, and Amanda’s pursuit of Finance at the Wharton School of Business and her internships in Private Equity and Investment Banking.

Nick also loved and cherished his sister, Barbara, for being with him through it all; from his teaching her to throw a baseball and to score the game to pretending he didn’t know she stole his cigarettes when she was 12. Barbara’s love and devotion to Nick and his family was greatly appreciated, especially throughout the challenging times.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Wooden Nickel Restaurant, 4006 Berger Lane, Monroeville, PA 15146 on Saturday, June 28, 2025. Please stop in anytime between 1- 4:30 pm to share some memories!

Funeral services were private with his family. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his memory to American Diabetes Association - https://www.diabetes.org/ or the American Heart Association - https://www.heart.org/. For online condolences, please visit www.hartfuneralhomeinc.com.

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