Lesley Nicholson departed this life May 20, 2023, after a battle with end stage COPD. She was 88 years of age and lived the lion’s share of those years with an optimist’s demeanor and an irrepressible spirit. She is survived by her husband, John Nicholson. She was predeceased by her first husband, Harold Bomhoff, who died in 2003, and her beloved daughter, Joanna Bomhoff Evans, who died in February 2023. 

She was born Lesley Mary Kirk in Bromley, Kent in England on January 20, 1935, to Lawrence Kirk and Ruby Messent Kirk. Ruby was a gifted pianist who composed original music and played regularly in church services. Lawrence worked in foreign service for the British Council, the UK’s international organization for cultural relations and education. As such the family lived many years abroad. They spent the majority of WWII in Bermuda and Argentina, where Lesley became fluent in Spanish. She also spoke some French and was adept at Welsh and Scottish accents. After the war they lived in the Near East and Indonesia. On return to England Lesley attended Avery Hill Training College of the University of London. After graduation she taught first grade in Birmingham, England, for five years. 

Single and adventurous, she bade farewell to England and her parents and moved to Madrid. There she taught children of English diplomats as well as other English citizens. In 1960 she married Harold Bomhoff, who was stationed in Madrid with the USAF. Her daughter and only child, Joanna, the delight of her life, was born in Madrid on December 16, 1963. The family ultimately moved to Hampton, VA where Harold retired from the USAF at Langley Air Force Base. Later Lesley and Harold divorced, but always remained on good terms. In 1987 Lesley married John Nicholson, who worked for Vigyan Inc. as a physicist at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton. They enjoyed yearly trips to Sidmouth, England where her mother lived, and they took several side trips in Europe. 

Lesley liked to write, both prose and poems, and enjoyed the challenge of solving the daily crossword puzzle. She was cheerful by nature and had a lively sense of humor. She was a joy to be around and will be sorely missed by her family and many friends. A ceremony to honor and celebrate her life will be held at Langley Baptist Church, 116 Little Back River Rd, Hampton, VA 23669 on Saturday, July 1, 2023 at 1:00.

Arrangements in care of Cremation Society of Virginia-Newport News office.