Nickolas Robert Rios 

12/23/1927 - 05/05/2024

 It is with heavy hearts that the family of Nickolas Robert Rios shares the news of his passing on May 5, 2024. Nickolas was surrounded by his loving family when he peacefully departed at the age of 96. Born 2 days before Christmas in 1927, Nickolas grew up a rambunctious young man and at the young age of 19 he set out to pursue personal growth, adventure, and to be of service to his country by joining the US Military. Nickolas served in the US Navy from 1948 to 1950 where he earned the rank of Seaman. In the Navy, Nickolas served in the South Pacific where he was stationed in Agana, Guam for a year and a half as flight mechanic for Search and Rescue of downed US aircraft. Nickolas delivered supplies and transported medical personnel (including nuns from various South Pacific islands) back to Guam. Soon after, Nickolas enlisted in the US Army where he rose to the rank of Sergeant. In the Army, Nickolas served in Europe and was stationed in Friedberg, Germany for 3 years as an in-flight mechanic on an L19 Observation aircraft. Along with a pilot, his 2-man crew patrolled the borders between East and West Germany to report any unusual military activity. It was Nickolas’ reputation for going above and beyond his assigned duties that gained him much recognition and earned him his advancement to Sergeant. Nickolas was a man of many interests and hobbies. Nickolas was a lover of music, especially Jazz, Big Band, and Barbershop Quartets. While orchestrations were his preference, Nicolas did find the singing of Rosemary Clooney to be his all-time favorite. Nickolas’ love for music did include playing music as he was a trombone player in his earlier years. Nickolas was also a boxer who spent time in the ring while at Pasadena Community College. Nickolas’ boxing legacy is memorialized on the Pasadena Community College athletic wall. As an avid fan of the great outdoors, one of Nickolas’ favorite pastimes was camping with his family at Camp Pendleton Marine Base where he would show off his culinary skills on the grill. Nickolas was a man of the community. Nickolas owned and operated his own barbershop for over 40 years. Nickolas’ barber skills were featured in a local newspaper for having provided haircuts to several generations of the same family. While working at his barbershop, Nickolas developed an affinity for horse racing by befriending many horse jockeys and trainers that would sit in his barber chair. Nickolas welcomed any and all to his barbershop where he gave top quality haircuts and sage advice to those eager to listen. Nickolas lived his life with much pride for the time he served our great nation, it is only surpassed by the pride and joy he had for his beloved family. Nickolas always made a point to imbue wisdom and logical reason to his descendants in the hopes that they do not fall for the same pitfalls he did in his youth. Nickolas was known for always being present for holidays and birthday celebrations, but most notably Nickolas was the first barber for all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren including infant twins that are less than a year old. The legacy of Nickolas Robert Rios is one that is emblematic of continuous self-improvement, unwavering reliability, and deep compassion. Nickolas Robert Rios is survived by his sister Carmen Pastrana, his children Steven Rios, Chuck Christensen, and Georgiana Jones, and his numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.