Gifford "Nick" Nicolaides

Gifford A. "Nick" Nicolaides, 86, artist, painter, and art teacher, passed away on January 6th at his home in Kingsport, Tennessee. He was born in New York City 1927, the son of the renowned art teacher and author Kimon Nicolaides and Ann Nicolaides. Gifford attended the Catholic schools graduating from St. Elizabeth's (1940) in Washington Heights, in New York City. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. Gifford studied art at the New York Arts Students League. Gifford earned his B.A. in Fine Arts from San Jose State University in 1972 and his M.A. in Fine Arts from San Diego State University in 1975. He taught art classes at San Diego City College for 13 years and also in San Jose, California for several years, moving to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2001, where he continued to teach and participated in the Festival of Arts. In 2010 he moved to Kingsport, Tennessee where he taught art from his home.

Art was his passion. Since childhood and throughout his life, he had a singleness of purpose to be making and teaching art. He loved to draw people, finding great pleasure in their beauty and expressions. His many devoted students remember him as being kind, gentle, patient, and encouraging.

He was predeceased by his father, Kimon (1938), niece, Marie Louis Nicolaides-Stewart (1972), mother, Ann (1993), younger brother, Philip (1994), and older brother, Kimon (2005).

Gifford is survived by his ex-sister-in-law, Clare Nicolaides, nephews, Kimon, Michael, Peter, Paul and Joseph Nicolaides and nieces, Nina Nicolaides, Nikki Nicolaides-Fox, Dawn Nicolaides-Dimick, Kelly Phillips, Tracy Nicolaides-Johnson and Carla Nicolaides Lavera.

A Funeral Mass will be conducted on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Dominic Catholic Church with Father Michael Nolan officiating. Visitation will follow.

Graveside services will be on Friday, January 27, 2014, at 10:45 a.m. at Mtn. Home National Cemetery with the American Legion Posts 3/265 conducting Military Honors.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

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