LORIS, SC (WBTW) – The funeral for Mayor Henry Nichols of Loris will be held this morning at 11:30 a.m.
Nichols, 68, died on Tuesday after an extended illness. He served since 2016 and was the city’s first African-American mayor.
Nichols, a native of Loris, was a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. He held a bachelor’s degree in history from Howard University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of the District of Columbia.
He was chief financial officer for the state of Maryland, Department of Human Resources, according to his public social media page. As CFO, he had oversight of a $1.8 billion budget. He served as assistant vice chancellor for budget, finance and athletics for A & T State University, Greensboro, N.C.
Nichols also served as chairman for the Horry County Affordable Housing Commission.
City Council Member Joan Gause says Loris will remember Nichols for how much he wanted to improve the city, even as his health declined.
“He was fair,” Gause said. “He listened to everyone that he could get the energy and time to listen to. He really cared about the community. It was his community that he grew up in.”
The service will be at the First Presbyterian Church in Loris.
