Calvin Lionel Nicholson

Psalm 62:1, 2: Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will never be shaken.

Calvin Lionel Nicholson, born March 6, 1978, aged 44, passed away suddenly on July 20, 2022, due to injuries resulting from an automobile accident on May 26, 2022. Raised in New Haven and matriculated through the New Haven Public School System, Calvin relocated to California in 2009, where he pursued his career as a biomedical engineer, specializing in Health Informatics. He carried many specializations in this field, including, Informatics, DICOM, PACS, and EMR systems.

His career in the Information Systems and Technology field spanned over 22 years. Graduating from Yale University with a degree in Applied Physics in 2000, Calvin earned his Master of Science in Information Systems and Technology from Claremont Graduate University (CGU) in 2020, and at the time of his passing, Calvin was enrolled in the doctoral program in Health Informatics at CGU, where his planned dissertation would have focused on the use of Health Informatics to improve the health outcomes of Black women.

A vegan for 25 years, Calvin enjoyed cooking vegan dishes and experimenting with different cuisines, which included cooking dishes from many countries, including, Nigeria, the country of his wife’s parents. An avid runner, Calvin loved running marathons and other distances. Based on Calvin’s running abilities and skill, he graciously served as pace leader for his run club, Inland Empire Run Club in 2016, and ran with the Riverside Roadrunners Club.

Calvin was a comic book enthusiast and loved science fiction, enjoying attending and participating in comic book and science fiction conventions everywhere he lived. A hip-hop head, Calvin enjoyed music, favoring the music of artists and groups, A Tribe Called Quest, EPMD, Outkast, Wu-Tang Clan, Jay-Z, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Musiq Soulchild, Kendrick Lamar, and tons of others.

While Calvin enjoyed running, movies, popular culture, politics, debate, science fiction television, and veganism, his life was a faith-filled one, led by his close relationship with God. Baptized into the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, he was a member of Bethel AME Church, New Haven, Connecticut, Greater Centennial AME Zion Church, Mount Vernon, New York, and First AME Zion Church, Los Angeles, California, where he was a leader in all three churches. No matter where he lived, Calvin’s relationship with God was something he cherished. As such, when he moved with his wife to Riverside, California, he was received into the Roman Catholic Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in 2019, and became a member of St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish in Riverside, California.

He is survived by his wife, Ugochi Lynne Anaebere-Nicholson, of Los Angeles and Riverside, California, parents, Calvin and Mae (Middleton) Nicholson, of New Haven, Connecticut, siblings, Denise Altovise Nicholson-Metz (Timothy), and Byron Leo Nicholson, of Decatur, Georgia, and New Haven, Connecticut, respectively, special brother, Roderick Jones, of New Haven, Connecticut, as well as a legion of family and friends. He was predeceased by his eldest brother, Michael K. Galloway (Pamela), of Bloomfield, Connecticut, and his beloved cat, Mr. Blonde Nicholson.  

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