Ross Nickolaus

Ross Allen Nickolaus, age 48, of Aurora, passed away in the early hour of Saturday morning December 2, 2023.  
A Memorial Service will be held at the United Methodist Church in Aurora on Friday, December 29, 2023 at 11 a.m. with visitation the evening before from 5-7 p.m. Pastor Michelle Reed will be officiating and a special message will be provided by Rick Hattan.   Memorials may be made to the family to be designated at a later date. Condolences may be sent to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.
Ross was born to Bonnie (Higby) and James Nickolaus and was raised in Hampton,  with his brother Rob. He graduated from Hampton High School in 1993 and attended UNL for one year.  
Ross was happily married to Theresa Nickolaus and they recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. Together they have a son, Tavin.  
Grieving his loss are his wife, son, parents, his brother Rob (Melissa) Nickolaus, Brynn (niece),  and Gannon (grandson). He is survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course his fishing buddies and friends.  
He was preceded in death by Judy Roehrs (aunt), Vernon and Alice Higby (grandparents), and Larry Higby (uncle), Eldon and Pearl Nickolaus (grandparents).  
Ross was an early riser for work, but more-so when it came to fishing. He enjoyed cooking, grilling, and coming up with new, delicious recipes. He’s notable for making a steak you could eat with only a fork. His most recent, well loved recipe was affectionately called “Grandpa’s Crabby Patties”— a lightly breaded and fried fishcake.  
Ross grew up working side by side with his dad learning how stuff worked; usually the hard way. He was on a first name basis with the ER staff, with many accidents in his early years. Ross’s mechanical aptitude and his ability to master almost anything he attempted, made him a skilled machinist at Custom Pipe in Grand Island.
Ross made a friend everywhere he went. He enjoyed random acts of kindness by paying for the person’s groceries ahead of him or by sending a dessert or appetizer to someone—just to make their day.  
Ross’s big fish story was when he landed a 50 lb. 12 oz. catfish. He then went on to fillet and fry it to share with the Aurora Boy Scouts.  
Now he’s fishing with the Master at the eternal fishing hole.