Steve Nikkel

Willard “Steve” Nikkel, one of the greatest generation’s most beloved men and a family man in the truest sense, passed away Saturday January 29th, just three weeks short of his 97th birthday: February 19th. Born in 1925 and raised near Joes, Colorado on the eastern plains, Steve was the youngest of five boys born to Walter Nikkel and the former Winnie Belle Haddock. Steve was raised on the ranch and was liked to say with a smile that he was the valedictorian of his high school class, which had all of five seniors. He joined the U.S. Army in WWII, becoming a paratrooper in the elite 101st Airborne Division. Steve’s outfit arrived in Europe in December of 1944 and helped wrap up the war against the Nazis. He and other members of his company were among the first allied soldiers to reach the Eagle’s Nest, Adolph Hitler’s mountain headquarters in Berchtesgaden, southeast of Munich.

After the war in Europe ended, Steve met Wilma “Billie” Stanton, a registered nurse at the Rainbow Ballroom in Denver. They danced and then they married shortly thereafter and moved to Longmont. Steve chose Barber College over University because it wouldn’t take as long. Then in 1951, Steve was called back to active duty by the Army and served on the front lines in Korea before returning to Longmont. After trying his hand at a few different jobs in a few different Colorado towns, he opened Steve’s Barber Shop and Steam Bath, settling in on Main St. and providing a generation of Longmont men, young and old, with excellent haircuts and many humorous stories. He was also proud of hiring Longmont’s first lady barber.

In 1971, Steve left the haircutting business and became a licensed real estate agent, landing eventually at the Pratt Agency in Longmont where he rose to vice-president. Settled in with what would prove to be his true calling, Steve soon set records in listings and sales, making friends of pretty much everyone he met as he did so. A member of the Longmont Association of REALTORS® for many years, Steve was consistently the top producer in his fast-growing community and a mentor to dozens of REALTORS®. He was also active in the community and served as the Elks Club’s exalted ruler in 1963-1964.

Steve and Billie were married for over 50 years. They had three children, Connie, Steve Jr and Bonnie. Billie passed in 2000. Steve’s heavy grief was assuaged by his family and by Chris Christopherson, a former client who became his great friend. Their road trips to Las Vegas and Texas were a fabulous tonic for Steve and continued frequently until Chris passed away suddenly. Then in 2010, Steve asked another widower to lunch, long-time Longmont resident Elaine Gillette. Soon they were inseparable and became a couple in 2012. They shared a passion for dancing (second only to their passion for each other), becoming a fixture on dance floors at the Senior Center, the Elks and all around the front range.

Loved so much by his large family and the many friends whose lives he touched, Steve is survived by Elaine, his daughters Connie Lantry (Kabe), Bonnie Finley (Kurt) and son Steve Jr. (Mary) and by his grandchildren, Sandy Pierce, Tricia Godlewski, Traci Mills, Eric Nikkel, Sarah Murphy, KJ Finley and Steve Finley, and great-grandchildren, Logan Godlewski, Ryan Godlewski, Stuart Habbart, Ranni Mills, Bailee Murphy, Lexi Habbart, Vanessa Nikkel, Levi Murphy, Victor Finley, PJ Finley, London Nikkel, Galvin Finley, Adrian Finley, Quinn Nikkel and Isabel Finley.

Memorial contributions may be made to Veterans Community Project https://www.veteranscommunityproject.org/give-longmont and the Longmont United Hospital Foundation https://luhfoundation.org.