Frank M. Nichols III

Frank was born on April 16, 1945, in Warren, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Warren Area High School in 1963. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts and Sciences, Radio and TV, from Michigan State University in 1968–a foundation that launched a dynamic and far-reaching career in media.

Frank was a pioneer in the world of media buying, working as a sales representative and executive in cities across the country including Detroit, Washington D.C., Dallas, Sarasota, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Seattle. In Washington, D.C., he represented WTOP for Post-Newsweek. Later, he founded his own successful media buying firm, The Nichols Company, based in Dallas, Texas. His entrepreneurial vision and leadership ultimately led to the sale of the company to Mercury Media in Los Angeles, where he lived and worked for more than 25 years.

While Frank’s professional life was distinguished, music remained his lifelong passion. He joined the prestigious Warren Boys’ Choir at the age of eight and never stopped singing. As a young man, he worked at WNAE, the local radio station, and continued to express himself through music throughout his life. He played guitar, wrote songs, and performed daily–whether in church choirs, barbershop quartets, or simply for the joy of it. Music was not just a hobby; it was part of his soul.

Frank is survived by his son, Sean Nichols, and grandchildren, Sonia and Louis Nichols; Sean’s mother, Lyn Glass McDaniel; his sisters, Theresa Adams Troiano (Robert), and Sarah Nichols Hogue (Ronald), and their sons, Samuel and Timothy; niece, Tracey Valone Cottrell; and many beloved cousins, and extended family.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Frank Mario Nichols, Jr., and Betty Callen Nichols; his sister, Debbie Nichols Cagle; stepmother, Jean Adams Nichols, and Linda Cooper Nichols along with other dear aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Visitation will be held on Friday, May 9, 2025, from 10:30 to 11 AM at First Lutheran Church, 109 W. Third Ave., Warren, Pennsylvania. A Celebration of Life will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Ave., 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001-6792.