It is with deep sadness that the family of Jeremy Duncan Nicholson, Baron of Balvenie, announces his untimely passing on 5 March 2024 in Milan, Italy two months shy of his 76th birthday.
Jeremy was born in the shadow of the Rijksmusem Amsterdam in the building that now houses the U.S. Consulate General, the middle of three brothers.
As a young boy and much to his mother's horror, Jeremy kept a number of snakes and reptiles as pets, and when he returned the United States to attend college, he donated his collection to the Brussels Zoo. As a young man, he enjoyed camping and canoeing with his older brother Nicky in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp in search of alligators and snakes and other native wildlife.
Jeremy was a graduate of Haverford College and subsequently took a Masters Degree in Library Science from Temple University. It was while he was in Philadelphia on the evening of 5 December 1975, the eve of the Feast Day of St. Nicholas, that Jeremy met Conte Andrea di Montegnacco, his spouse, life companion, and best friend of 44 years. Andrea's unexpected passing in March 2020 was a source of great grief to Jeremy.
Jeremy moved to Sydney, Australia, in the summer of 1982 to be with Andrea who preceded him there by two years. The two subsequently resided in Melbourne, Australia, and Udine, Italy, before winding up living together in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, for 22 years.
Jeremy was always fascinated by airplanes and flying and took flying lessons at one point. He and Andrea were inveterate world travelers, opting often to circle the globe rather than choosing a conventional out-and-back round trip. Jeremy was well-known and well-regarded by the First Class cabin crews of Delta Airlines. He kept a log of every flight he made, detailing the types of aircraft, plane tail numbers, crew members, and seat positions.
Upon returning to the States in 1998, Jeremy worked tirelessly to untangle the bureaucratic red tape and help Andrea obtain his Green Card and, ultimately, his American citizenship. With Andrea, Jeremy owned and operated a small business providing technical writing and consulting to various businesses and enterprises. The two were officially united in marriage in 2013 shortly after California became the first state in the nation to pass a same sex marriage law.
Jeremy was recognized in Scotland as Baron of Balvenie upon the passing of his uncle C.B. Harman Nicholson of Atlanta in 2009. Deeply proud of his Scottish heritage, Jeremy was a Chieftain in Clan MacNicol, Chairman of the Clan MacNicol Federation, President of Clan MacNicol North America, President of the Scorrybreac Fund, a Trustee of Urras Clann MhicNeacail, and Patron and honorary President of the Dufftown Highland Games. Jeremy was also the proprietor of the ancient Castle of Balvenie in Dufftown, Moray (formerly Banffshire) which is under the care of Historic Scotland.
Together, Jeremy and Andrea again tackled the United States immigration and naturalization bureaucracy on behalf of their friend and Senegalese asylum seeker, Moise Ndoye. They did not rest their efforts until Moise was first granted asylum in 2012, a Green Card in 2014, and, finally, his U.S. Citizenship in 2018. Jeremy and Moise were subsequently married in a private ceremony in November 2021.
Well- and widely-read, Jeremy was a great conversationalist with a tremendous font of knowledge of history and literature. He was a truly kind person who loved nothing better than a quiet evening of dining and convivial conversation with friends and family that would often carry late into the night, way past everyone's bedtime.
Jeremy was predeceased his parents H. Burke Nicholson, Jr. and Juliet D. Nicholson; his first spouse Andrea di Montegnacco; his Aunts Carolyn Worley (Owen) and Lucia Lines (Ernest); his Uncles C.B. Harman Nicholson and John Nicholson (Charlotte); and his older brother H.B. 'Nicky' Nicholson, III.
Jeremy is survived by Moise Ndoye, and by his beloved brother Graham Seaford Nicholson, Sr. of Canton, Georgia with his wife Rebecca Gay Nicholson and their children, Graham Seaford Nicholson, Jr. (Meagan) and Grace Ellen Nicholson, his aunt Jane Johnson, and by many loving cousins, their spouses, and nieces and nephews.
The family will be receiving visitors at Northside Chapel, 12050 Crabapple Road in Roswell, GA 30075, on Tuesday evening, 19 March 2024, from 6:00 to 8:30 PM.
The Celebration of Life for Jeremy will be Wednesday morning, 20 March 2024, at 11:00 AM, at Birmingham United Methodist Church, located at 15770 Birmingham Hwy, Milton, GA 30004. A light meal will be offered in the fellowship hall following the ceremony.
In lieu of flowers, Jeremy's family would appreciate that donations be made in his memory to the American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Jeremy will be sorely missed by his many friends and his loving family.
