Nicholas “Nick” James Soley passed peacefully at home with his family on Tuesday May 3, 2022. He was born in New York city on July 8, 1930 to Sophie Bradley and Nicholas Soley. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mary Eleanor Costa; son Mark James Soley (Janet Wiehl) of West Islip; daughter Ellen Soley Adkins (E. Stanton Adkins, III, MD) of South Carolina; and 4 grandchildren, E. Stanton Adkins IV of Murrells Inlent SC, Nicholas Bradley Adkins of Brooklyn, NY, Nicholas James Soley of Brooklyn, NY and Elizabeth Reade Adkins of New York, NY. Nicholas was an employee of Grumman Aerospace in Bethpage for 35 years and was the Engineering Crew and Equipment group leader for the US Navy F-14 “Tomcat”. One of his major roles was the integration of the Martin/Baker ejection seat in the cockpit, taking into account all aspects of the human factors and addressing the feedback from pilots. His other projects at Grumman included work on the Mohawk and the A6 Intruder aircraft. He had an exceptional work ethic and loved his job. Nicholas was described by co-workers as treating everyone with respect and dignity and creating a very positive work environment.

Nicholas was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He was kind and generous with his time and talent toward family and neighbors. Mary and Nick had a wonderful partnership and they enriched the lives of those around them. In his personal life he enjoyed travel, reading, music, community service and spending time with his grandchildren. He traveled the United States and Europe extensively with Mary over many years. Our family shared books and music, and he read several newspapers everyday. Nicholas was a devout Catholic; he served as a minister at St. James Roman Catholic Church for over 10 years after he retired, and he was part of the funeral ministry. Grandpa was always a loving presence in his grandchildrens' lives and always available for school projects, advice, and celebrating all of the special moments. He always supported his grandchildren’s education and creative pursuits. He made a point of attending their graduations, confirmations, plays, concerts, recitals, and more. Sincere thanks to family, friends, and neighbors for this support at this time. Services will be held at Chapey and Sons, 20 Hicksville Rd., Bethpage at 12noon on Friday May 6, 2022. The family wants to thank all of the doctors, nurses, and caregivers that provided care and compassion to our father. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to: The Eye Cancer Foundation 115 E. 61st Street, New York, NY 10065 or at the donation site www.eyecancercure.com/donate-now.html OR NYU Dialysis Center at Bethpage ATTN: Social Work Dept. , 530 Hickville Rd., Bethpage, NY 11714. Checks can be made to out to NYU Langone Hospital LI.