Marie P. Nicholson, a resident of Riverdale for 50 years, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, December 8th. Marie was born on November 9th, 1948 to Eileen and John Van Oostrom. Marie was raised in Washington Heights, where she began making many lifelong friendships while attending Incarnation School and then graduating to attend Cathedral High School. Because of her outgoing, witty and charming personality Marie’s circle of friends naturally continued to grow. It was during this time that Marie met the man she would fall madly in love with and spend the rest of her life with, Brian Nicholson.
Brian and Marie were married on October 12th 1969. Having moved to the Bronx, Marie and Brian soon were blessed with the birth of their son, Brian Keith (Duke) in 1970. Three short years later Marie and Brian were blessed again with the birth of their daughter, Heather Marie. At that time the Nicholson family was also blessed to become residents of Riverdale.
Marie was a dedicated and loving mother who stayed at home to raise Brian and Heather until 1979 when she began her career at The College of Mt. St. Vincent. She spent the next 35 years supporting the Department of Business and Economics while imparting her knowledge and wisdom to the students and faculty. While Marie was a trailblazer in her career, her life revolved around her family and friends.
In 2001 Marie was bestowed with her proudest title, “Grandma”, when she became a Grandmother for the first time. She repeated this achievement 4 more times over the next 9 years. Marie was happiest when sharing stories with friends about her grandchildren’s accomplishments, both big and small.
Most days you could find Marie with Brian walking through the neighborhood and stopping to talk with friends and neighbors. These were never casual conversations because Marie always had a way to connect with whoever she was talking to, having a depth to her conversations that left an impact on everyone she met. Anyone who spent time with Marie felt loved and as a result, walked away a better person.
Marie is survived by her loving husband Brian, her children Brian Keith, Heather Murray (Brian), her 5 grandchildren, Carolyn, Ciaran, Tara, Brady and Owen. Marie was an adoring daughter, sister, wife, mother, mother-in-law, Grandmother, sister-in-law, Aunt, Grand Aunt, Great Aunt, God Mother and friend. She will be profoundly missed by all!
Marie was welcomed into Heaven by her loving parents, John and Eileen Van Oostrom, sister Christine and daughter-in-law Colleen Nicholson.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or the Tunnel To Towers Foundation in memory of Marie P. Nicholson.
Visitation will be Friday, December 15th from 3pm - 8pm at Riverdale-on-Hudson Funeral Home, 6110 Riverdale Avenue, Bronx NY. Mass of Christian burial will be Saturday, December 16th, 9:30am at St Margaret of Cortona Church. Interment Mount St. Mary Cemetery, Flushing NY.