Bill Nicholas, 76 died Wednesday February 19,, 2008 at the Greene County Medical Center. Services were held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the Hastings Funeral Home in Perry with burial in the Rippey Cemetery. Visitation began after 9 a.m. Friday at the Hastings Funeral Home in Perry with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m.
Bill was born September 10, 1931 in Rippey, Iowa to Norman Abraham Nicholas, and Ella Mae Robinson Nicholas. He attended school in Rippey and later graduated from Jamaica High School in 1949. Bill worked for the Milwaukee railroad for three years. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954 where he was a Staff Sergeant with the Combat Engineers. Bill was a member of the Engineer Aviation Battalion. Bill married Frances Clark August 25, 1955. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Iowa in Civil Engineering and his Masters degree in Sanitary Engineering. Bill’s career included serving as head of the water quality for seven states under the Tennessee Valley Authority. Bill and Karen lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1964 to 1977 where he was in top management and involved with nuclear power for the largest power plant. The family returned to Iowa, moving to Jamaica in 1978. Bill worked for the Iowa Department of Agriculture until his retirement January 1, 1996. He then worked part time for Beling Consultants which was later bought by Raymond Consultants. Bill enjoyed woodworking, a craft he learned from his father. He remodeled their homes and those of his girls. His passion was playing Cribbage, but he also liked hunting, fishing, reading and hunting mushrooms. Bill was a member of American Legion Post # 687 in Jamaica; a former member of the Lions, Elks, and Moose. He was also in the Honorary Engineers Fraternity. In Jamaica he was very active with the Jamaica Senior Citizens Community Building and had chaired the Centennial Celebration in 1982.
Bill was survived by his wife Karen; daughters, Denise Park of Weslaco, Texas, Rhonda (Curt) Nelson of Jamaica, Iowa and Lori(Rob) Trout of Des Moines; grandchildren, Kristi Park, Kelly Villalobos, Kyle Park, Megan, Molly, and Nicholas Nelson; six great grandchildren, Aaron, Anthony, and Austin Rodriguez, Devin, Christopher, and Alexa Villalobos; brothers, Ed(Wilma) Nicholas of Perry, Daniel(Patricia) Nicholas of Daytona Beach, Fl., Harold Nicholas of St. Joseph Mo, and Frank Nicholas of Brooklyn, NY; sisters, Norma Hull of Perry, Donna(Doug) Young of Sylmar, CA; brothers -in-law Duane Bennink of Ames, and Ronald(Ginny) Clark of Atlanta, GA.; sisters-in-law, Linda (Douglas) Holmes of Algona, and Lynda Nicholas of Lake Elizabeth, CA; uncle Ralph Robinson of Grand Junction; and aunt, Evelyn Rose of Amarillo, Texas.
Memorials were left to his family at the Hastings Funeral Home.
Friends of Rippey
