Richard "Dick" E. Nice

Richard Eugene “Dick” Nice, of Baton Rouge, LA, passed away on August 23, 2025, after an inspiring journey with Alzheimer’s disease. He was surrounded by family and peacefully went to the Lord. Richard, a devout Catholic, received his Last Rites shortly before his passing.

Richard was born in Meadville, PA in 1942. He grew up as a precocious and industrious youngster helping his father Eugene Nice and mother Dorothy Nice (née McClimon) by working in their auto-body shop. Richard always dreamed big and met his future wife, Judith Ann Zuver, in first grade. They married 12 years later in June of 1961.

Richard went to night school at Alliance College in Meadville and then at Gannon College in Erie, PA. After working two jobs and having two children, sons Christopher Thomas “C.T.” Nice (1963) and Jeffrey Scott Nice (1967), he graduated with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Gannon in 1968. Richard continued his education at Penn State University, where he graduated with a master’s degree in engineering in 1972. Judy, C.T., and Jeff attended Richard’s graduation and enjoyed a spectacular celebratory dinner at the Nittany Lion Inn. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Richard—a huge sports fan and lover of the Cleveland Indians—found time to coach Little League baseball and won 3 championships in 5 years, eventually coaching his oldest son to a Little League Championship in Erie, PA in 1973.

Shortly after graduating from Penn State, Richard began working for AO Smith in Erie, PA—an opportunity which led to the life-changing decision to move his young family to Singapore in Southeast Asia. Richard opened an industrial instrumentation office in East Asia and traveled throughout Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and even to Mainland China. As a guest lecturer in Beijing in 1975, Richard was one of the very first American businessmen to visit China and introduced the Chinese to advanced flow measurement.

Following three incredibly successful years in Singapore, Richard, Judy, C.T., and Jeff returned to the United States in 1977 and settled in Houston, Texas. After Geosource Incorporated acquired AO Smith, Richard was named Vice President of International Sales. Richard continued to travel the world, solving flow measurement challenges for companies across six continents.

In 1980, Richard moved to Baton Rouge to join the industrial instrumentation firm LuMac Incorporated as the Vice President of Sales, where he eventually became President. In 1986, Richard—with his muse Judy Nice by his side and on the phones—launched Nice Instrument Sales, an engineering technology firm selling technical equipment and solutions for chemical plants, refineries, and engineering firms. The firm was headquartered in Baton Rouge and covered the entire Gulf Coast.

During the next 18 years, Nice Instrument Sales became an industry leader in Baton Rouge, distributing across the south from East Texas to the Panhandle of Florida. Nice Instruments served hundreds of customers and had as many as 75 employees across 7 offices throughout the south. Nice Instruments received the Dow Chemical Quality Champion Award in 1994 and set numerous sales records as one of the industry’s top instrument technology firms. In 2004, after selling Nice Instruments to Rawson, Inc. of Houston, Richard retired to begin the next chapter of his wonderful life.

During his retirement, Richard became president of the Property Owners Association at the Country Club of Louisiana, worked for SCORE as an advisor to fledgling businesses and entrepreneurs, and played as much golf as humanly possible. He joined This Man is You and participated every week. Every day, he teed it up with a contingent of his group of twenty plus friends at the Country Club of LA. He made (at least) 6 holes in one and traveled across the US, Scotland, and Ireland, playing the world’s great courses with his friends from CCL. Judy and Richard also enjoyed cruising, traveling across all 4 oceans— and even venturing to Fiji on January 1, 2000, the first spot on Earth to welcome the millennium.

Richard was a devout Catholic and became a Eucharistic Minister at St. George Catholic Church, alongside the love of his life his wonderful wife, Judy. They served mass every weekend for almost two decades. Richard was a huge sports fan and loved his Penn State Nittany Lions, his LSU Tigers, and his Boston Celtics. Richard loved music of all kinds and could sing the lyrics to any song on the radio.

From a small town in Western Pennsylvania to the capital of Mainland China—from 13 years of night school to president of one of the South’s most successful instrumentation companies—Richard was a man of many talents and worked hard every day. He made many friends, was intensely devoted to his family, and would do just about anything to help someone in need. He inspired countless people, sharing wisdom and perspective rooted in his worldwide experiences and his deep faith.

The final chapter in Richard’s life was just as special as those prior. Richard became the dearest of friends with the residents and caregivers of Barclay House. In the months at Barclay, he was the life of the party, the “NICEST” resident, and an inspiration to everyone. He started “the men’s table” and infused the daily meal periods with joy and laughter. He endeavored to involve everyone, was kind and gracious to all, and of course… he sang the words to all the songs. He was simply a joy to all who knew him there—and full of life until the end.

The family would like to thank Maria Yiannopoulos of Dedicated Sitters and the Barclay House of Baton Rouge for the wonderful care Richard received this year. And finally, the Lord sent the family Ms. Andrea Parker, who deserves the most heartfelt thank you for taking exceptional care of Richard during his final months. Andrea provided the family tremendous comfort in the knowledge that he was lovingly cared for.

Richard is survived by Judy Nice, his amazing wife of 64 years, sons C.T. Nice and Jeff Nice, daughters-in-law Nancy Nice (née Milligan) and Lisa Nice (née Herring), and grandchildren Conner Thomas Nice, Casey Taylor Paul (née Nice), Aubrey Madison Nice, and Rhiannon Elisabeth Nice.

Conner is married to Emilie Nice (née Merck), and they have two boys, Christian Thomas Nice and Caden Taylor Nice, Richard and Judy’s great grandchildren. Casey Paul (née Nice) is married to Darren Paul of Poole, England.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Richard’s honor to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a charity the family has supported for over 45 years (stjude.org).

Services will be held Wednesday, August 27th at St. George Catholic Church (7808 St George Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70809), with visitation from 8:30am until Mass of Christian Burial at 10am, celebrated by Rev. Paul Yi. Entombment will follow in the church mausoleum.