F. William "Bill" Nicholson

F. William “Bill” Nicholson, beef industry executive, commodity futures trader, and a joyful, generous man died surrounded by family at his home in Wichita, Kansas on August 29, following a series of cascading health issues. He was born on February 15, 1941, in Le Mars, Iowa, the third child of Richard and Apollonia Beck Nicholson.

Nicholson was third generation “beef.” His Scottish forebears imported cattle when they emigrated to the U.S. in the 1880s: his grandfather, William, became a pioneering merchant, gathering cattle from neighboring farms and taking them by railroad to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. His father, Richard, was a commission man at the stock yards in Sioux City, Iowa, where Bill grew up. Bill began his career as a cattle buyer for Iowa Beef in Hawarden, Iowa, after graduating from the University of South Dakota (USD) Business School in 1964.

It was at USD that Bill met his wife, Julie. Together they moved across the plains as his career advanced: first to Sioux City, Iowa, then to Watson, Missouri, when Bill began working for Missouri Beef Packers (MBP), and to Plainview, Texas, when he became an executive at MBP. They settled in Wichita in 1974 when MBP merged with Kansas Beef Industry to form MBPXL, where Bill served as Executive Vice President. In 1980, when MBPXL (later Excel) was acquired by Cargill Industries, Inc., Bill became its President and Chief Operating Officer at the age of 39. The USD School of Business named him alumnus of the year that same year and he was inducted into the Young President’s Organization (YPO) in 1983.

A visionary leader, Nicholson wanted to bring something new to the consolidated meatpacking industry. He founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Val-Agri, creating a multimillion-dollar meatpacking corporation overnight. In the mid-1980s, when ConAgra acquired Val-Agri and its sister company, Swift Independent, which he also ran, Bill turned to Commodity Futures trading, joining McVean Trading and Investments in Memphis, Tennessee at its founding. He later worked with Burnett Commodities of Amarillo, Texas from a field office in Boulder Colorado. Bill retired from managing client portfolios in 2016 and he and Julie returned to Wichita, but he continued to trade stocks and commodities until he entered Wesley Hospital on August 5.

Bill taught his children to follow their passions and, above all else, to be kind. “Leave ‘em likin’ ya, kid. Always, leave them liking you,” was his hallmark advice. He was devoted to Julie, and they developed a marriage of equals. In their 64 years together, they traveled the world. They were in Bucharest when Bill’s health began to fail.

Bill will be remembered for a smile that lit up his whole face and his vibrant, dynamic personality. He loved food and drink and was a many-decades-long member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. A consummate host, he relished opening wines from his cellar to share with beloved guests.

Bill is survived by his wife, Julie, his children, Kate and Francis “Bill” Nicholson, and his sisters, Mary Kay Pilley and Jean Noonan. He was preceded in death by his father Richard Nicholson, his mother, Apollonia Nicholson, and his brothers Thomas and Jerry Nicholson.

A visitation with family and friends will be held at Cozine Life Events Center on September 8 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. A funeral mass will be held on September 9 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Boys Town, P.O. Box 8000, Boys Town, NE 68010, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301 or St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 1321 N. Stratford Ln., Wichita, KS 67206.