James Jay "Jim" Nickels

James Jay “Jim” Nickels, 81, of Fort Wayne passed away on Thursday, July 19, 2018. He was born on October 24, 1936. Jim graduated from South Side High School and International Business College, and was a member of DeMolay. He then accepted a position as Production Manager of Indiana Stamp Co. While in that position he also was a press photographer for the Journal Gazette. After that he worked for International Harvester Credit Corporation for five years. For the next 35 years he was the Vice President and General Manager of Lincoln Coders, Inc. During that time he co-authored patents used in the marketing industry. After a brief retirement, he was invited to manage Strataflo Products, Inc. during its transitional period. He also assisted DTE Performance as their business manager and was the acting general manager of Indiana Signworks during their transition period. Jim was a charter member and deacon of Faith Baptist Church and also a Lieutenant in the first class of the Fort Wayne Police Reserves. His interests included flying, amateur radio (K9EEG), metal detecting, summers at Lake Tippecanoe, wintering in Naples, Florida and casinos. Jim’s motto in life was “Life is short, live it to the fullest!” He is survived by his wife and love of his life, Dolores; daughter, Lynnette (Bob) Price of Fort Wayne. He will be fondly remembered by his grandson, Jason (Megan) West; granddaughter, Melinda (Josh) Beekley; grandsons, Nathan (Ashley) West and Austin West; as well as his great grandchildren, Brison Beekley and Ava, Maddox, and Harper West. He was proceeded in death by his parents, Harry and Ruth Nickels, brother John Nickels, and loving daughter, Penny Nickels of West Hollywood, California in September, 2015. Visitation will be 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Friday, July 27, 2018 at Greenlawn Funeral Home, 6750 Covington Rd., Fort Wayne. A private family service will be held at a later time. Entombment will be in his final condo at Greenlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to donor’s choice.