Son of Peter Alexander Cunningham Nichols & Marian Buell and husband of Dianne Nichols.

"Southside Sentinal News", Urbanna, VA, 05 JAN 2011 by Audrey Thomasson.

"Country doctor dies; legacy remains strong

Dr. David Buell Nichols, who fulfilled a promise to the residents of Tangier Island by taking care of their health needs for over 31 years, died last week surrounded by family at his home on the Rappahannock River.

His death came less than four months after the dedication of a $1.4 million state-of-the-art clinic that he championed to replace the island's 50-year-old cramped and decaying facility.

Cancer took the life of the 62-year-old physician, who also tended hundreds of patients at the White Stone Family Practice he established in 1979. He was known as a gentle and thorough family doctor who never hesitated to examine and test and retest or refer until he was sure of a diagnosis.

He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Dianne, and children Sarah Buell Nichols and David 'Davey' Robertson Nichols.

Friend and Tangier Island Health Foundation president Jimmy Carter said Dr. Nichols passed away about 6:30 a.m. December 30. According to Carter, Dianne Nichols felt it was fitting for her husband to leave early on a Thursday "because that's when he always left for Tangier."

From early in his career, Dr. Nichols was deeply passionate about the islanders and their health issues. He and other medical professionals from the White Stone practice first traveled each Thursday by boat to the island to treat patients before Dr. Nichols started piloting his own airplane, then a helicopter, earning him the nickname, Dr. Copter.

In 2006, his work earned him the Country Doctor of the Year award from Staff Care, a Texas-based national physician staffing firm. The recognition brought national attention to Tangier and helped Dr. Nichols and Carter raise the public and private funding for the clinic, including a $300,000 grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In the following years, Dr. Nichols continued to work with Staff Care in the selection of new recipients for the honor. At the dedication of the David B. Nichols Health Center in August 2010, Staff Care named him the first Country Doctor of the Decade.

The crowd that flocked to the island for the dedication came from across the Chesapeake Bay and around the nation. Nearly every islander attended—a testament to the abundant affection for the soft-spoken man who improved the health of an island.

'This summer, Dr. David Nichols saw his dream come true when Tangier Island celebrated the dedication of its new health clinic,' said Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell in a prepared statement last week.

'I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be with Dr. Nichols at the grand opening of the state-of-the-art medical clinic to serve the island's 500 residents,' continued Gov. McDonnell.

Even in the old clinic, it was the devotion and sacrifice of Dr. Nichols that helped keep Tangier's residents healthy when he flew on his days off to Tangier Island to treat those who needed medical attention. As the island's doctor, Dr. Nichols selflessly continued to treat the sick while he was fighting his own health battle.

'Tangier Island today not only lost a great doctor, but also lost an important family member. It is my hope that all Virginians will pause to reflect on the good deeds performed by Dr. Nichols for 30 years and embrace the true spirit of giving that he embraced during his 62 years of an outstanding life well lived.'

In affiliating his practice with Riverside Medical Group in 2008, Dr. Nichols made sure the clinic would continue to be staffed after he could no longer work.

'The clinic is in good shape,' Carter said. 'Riverside Medical Group has been sending Dr. Keith Cubbage and others to the island so the work on Tangier that David was so concerned about was uninterrupted. We're grateful that it will continue. David was fiercely protective of the islanders. He was a great man and a great force for good. We'll miss him.'

In his final weeks, Dr. Nichols continued to visit the island with Carter and son Davey, who flew the trio over.

'He wanted to go and stay in the stay-over suite at the health clinic,' Carter said. So after assuring Dianne Nichols they would keep a watchful eye on him, they became the first to bunk in the clinic apartment.

A private family funeral service will be held on Tangier before his ashes are buried in the island cemetery of Swain Memorial United Methodist Church next to the clinic.

'David felt he'd been eulogized at the dedication' and wanted a small service with only his family and his Tangier family, according to Carter. 'This spring there will be a public celebration of his life.'

In an interview last August, Dr. Nichols said, 'I'm ready. I've faced reality and feel extremely lucky to have lived the life I've lived. Overall, what I did at Tangier was the best part of my practice. I've gained from my family on Tangier.'

And in an emotional statement to the crowd gathered for the dedication, he asked them not to worry about him. 'While I will leave you in body, I will never leave you in spirit,' he said."