Nicholai John Kourilo

Nicholai John Kourilo, 60, of Dickerson, Maryland, passed away on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD after a 12-month battle with cancer. He was the beloved husband of Ferri Soheilian Kourilo for the last 10 years and best friend for many more.
 
Born on November 28, 1962 and raised in Silver Spring, MD, Nick was the son of the late John Kourilo and Eugenia Nicholayevna Bogatyr, Kourilo née Znamenskaya. In addition to his wife, Ferri, he is survived by his brother Peter Bogatyr. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 28 years, Debra Kourilo, following her passing to cancer.

Nick received his high school diploma from Bullis School (Potomac, MD) and graduated from the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY), majoring in economics. He was also on the Dean’s list at Hagerstown Community College and received a Commercial Motor Vehicle Specialist Certificate and State of Maryland Scholarship Leadership Aptitude Award. 

An avid entrepreneur, Nick established several businesses including NJK, Inc., Collection & A/R Consulting with several major accounts such as Stanley Tulchin and Associates and Kaplan and Kaplan Inc., as well as an eBay business. He transitioned to transportation and commercial trucking, spending several years with Crete Carrier Corp and most recently with JB Hunt where he served as a driver, instructor, and teacher. He received recognition for being their number one driver with the most miles driven, safety accolades for standard of records, and received many certificates of acknowledgment for his job excellence.

Nick was also an enthusiastic sports fan, following the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins. He loved to read a variety of subjects, whether it was recent medical innovations, politics, comic relief, or science fiction. He also enjoyed watching movies-particularly science fiction and thriller movies-and playing games such as Scrabble, other puzzles, and beating Ferri at Jeopardy nightly. Nick also shared the passions of dining on a variety of ethnic foods and gardening with his beloved wife Ferri. Together they spent countless hours gardening, planting trees and caring for the multitude of flowers they planted to beautify their home and property. 

Nick touched the lives of countless people throughout his life. He loved his family, friends, colleagues at JB Hunt and, more than anything else in the world, his wife Ferri and their three dogs, Peanut, Teddy, and Carmen. Nick had a kind and generous soul and despite his manly demeanor was extremely affectionate. He was also known and loved for his sarcastic sense of humor. He will be deeply missed and remembered with love and admiration by all he touched. 

The family will receive friends from 1:00 to 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at Stauffer Funeral Home, 1621 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, MD 21702. A celebration of Nick’s life will follow at 2:00 pm. Rev. Tim May will officiate. Interment will be private.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children Hospital.