Yulee baseball coach killed in tree-trimming accident leaves behind 2 sons, pregnant wife

A man cleaning up tornado debris was killed over the weekend in Yulee.

Christopher Nichols, who went by his middle name, Adam, leaves behind two sons and his wife, Leah, who is pregnant with twins.

Nichols was well-known in Yulee as a Little League coach.

Photos: Community mourns beloved Yulee baseball coach, father

“It just doesn’t seem real,” said Nichols’ brother-in-law, Nate Burns. “What Leah and the kids are going to have to go through without their dad, that’s the hardest part. And it’s up to us and the family and friends around us to help them get through it.”

Nichols owned a tree trimming and landscaping company.

He was cleaning up a tree damaged by a tornado on Saturday when the tree fell the wrong way.

“So he moved around the tree to be able to try to cut it a different way, and when he did, he slipped and fell, and the tree fell on top of him,” said Burns.

His 9-year-old son was playing nearby, and watched as people performed CPR on his father.

“How scared Brodie had to be, to be able to witness that and not understand why they couldn’t save his dad,” said Burns.

Burns said it’s his turn to step up to the plate.

“I have five kids of my own, so now I know I’m going to inherit another four,” said Burns. “It’ll be some big shoes to fill to give the boys the guidance and leadership that Adam would have given them.”

Nichols’ family is asking children whom he coached to wear their uniforms to his funeral this weekend. They’ll have a special role in the ceremony.

The family has set up a fundraising page to help Nichols' wife and children.

Cox Media Group