Mr. Edward Nichols

Ed Nichols died peacefully at his home in Fresno on January 6, 2012 at the age of 86. He was born March 24, 1925 in Honolulu and lived on the island of Maui through high school. Ed's parents were both Russian émigrés and he had four sisters and two brothers. Immediately upon high school graduation he enlisted in the Army and spent four years in the south Pacific during WWII. Following the service he matriculated at the University of Hawaii and received a Bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1950. He was married to Meroy Topham from 1953 until her death in 1999. In 2001 he married Karla Davis who succeeds him.

From 1952-1960 he worked at the Bechtel Corporation in San Francisco. In 1960 he jumped at the opportunity to move back to Hawaii where he managed operations for Hawaiian Extruders. This was the early years of large scale plastic manufacturing and he developed polyethylene film as an agricultural mulch. At the time, this was a revolutionary advancement in agricultural practice for the Hawaiian pineapple industry. Dow Chemical purchased Hawaiian Extruders and Ed moved to Wenatchee, Washington in 1965 to develop foamed plastics for packaging for the local apple farming industry. In 1970 he co-founded Western Foampack in Fresno, California and remained with the company until he sold it in 1980.

Ed had a penchant for many different service activities and his retirement in 1980 afforded the opportunity to pursue them full time. He was a long time member of Rotary International and served in positions ranging from President of his local club to the Board of Governors of the western U.S. and Canada. Two Rotary projects were closest to his heart. He was deeply involved in the creation of the Rotary House, a children's hospice. There, critically ill children receive sophisticated care in a child-centered environment that also affords parents some relief from the intensity of delivering 24 hour care. In a larger initiative, Rotary began a program to eradicate polio world-wide. Ed threw his full weight into the program through a variety of fund raising activities. He frequently spoke to groups about the need to eradicate polio and how individuals and groups could tangibly contribute to achieving something so important to all humanity.

In addition to serving communities large and small, Ed had a deep interest in the arts. He was an avid supporter of the Fresno Art Museum. As well as being a founding member of the Fresno Opera, he served first as board member then president of the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra.

His sense of community ranged from near to far. For three years Ed served as the president of the Fresno Sister Cities program. He was most fond of the relationship between Fresno and Torreon, Mexico. He visited there often and learned Spanish to get the most of his experience.

Ed is succeeded by his wife Karla, his son Scott, daughter in law Susan and grandchildren Allison, Daniel and Thomas from West Chester, Pennsylvania. His daughter Stacey, deceased in 1998. She is succeeded by her husband Bob Mau from Stockton and their two children Kevin and Katie.

A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday January 11, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at Saint Columba Church, 5073 North Palm Avenue, Fresno.