Louis Charles Nevsimal

December 4, 1954 – September 2, 2026

Louis “Lou” Charles Nevsimal was born on December 4, 1954, in Cleveland, Ohio, and passed away at home in Grand Coulee, Washington, on September 2, 2026.

Lou spent most of his childhood in Saginaw, Michigan, surrounded by the waters of the Saginaw and Tittabawassee Rivers. The rivers became his playground and sparked a lifelong love of fishing and the outdoors. Even as a boy, Lou had an entrepreneurial spirit. He established a thriving bait business, selling worms, mayflies, and grasshoppers to local fishermen. If Lou wasn’t outside, he was probably sleeping—and only because he needed to get back outside again. His summers were spent at the family cabin in Northern Quebec, Canada where his love of the outdoors continued to grow.

At the age of 18, Lou joined the United States Navy and tested into the elite world of submarine service. Over the course of 22 years, he proudly served aboard five submarines: the USS Drum, USS Archerfish, USS William H. Bates, USS Maryland, and USS Georgia. While serving as an instructor at the newly built Bangor Sub Base in Bremerton, Washington, Lou fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. When he retired from the Navy in 1993 from Kings Bay, Georgia, he made a quick move back to Washington State—the place where his heart belonged.

Retirement from the Navy did little to slow Lou down. In the years that followed, he spent more than 300 days a year on the lakes and rivers of the Pacific Northwest, pursuing his passion for bass fishing and competing in bass tournaments. Fishing was more than a hobby for Lou; it was a way of life.

For 27 years, Lou was a familiar and beloved presence at Coulee Playland on the shores of Banks Lake in the Grand Coulee area. There, he ran a successful bait and tackle shop and shoreline marina, sharing his knowledge, stories, and love of the water with generations of fishermen and visitors. He finally retired for good in 2020.

In 2009, Lou met Peggy Surdahl. They married in 2011 and spent the next 15-plus years building a life filled with adventure. Together, they traveled throughout the United States, Alaska, Canada, and Europe. Some of Lou’s happiest adventures were road trips to new places where he could fish, explore, and enjoy the outdoors.

Lou’s passions were many, but fishing, hunting, weather patterns, and golden retrievers held special places in his heart. He had an endless curiosity about the weather and a deep appreciation for the natural world around him.

Lou also devoted himself to giving back to the place he loved. As President of the Banks Lake Conservation Program, he helped lead efforts to improve and protect Banks Lake. Among those efforts were the planting of approximately 30,000 trees along the shores of Banks Lake and the placement of more than 1,700 fish habitats, leaving lasting improvements for the lake, its wildlife, and the generations who will continue to enjoy it.

Lou is survived by his wife, Peggy and a cranky cat named Ellie, along with family and friends who will remember him for his adventurous spirit, his love of the water, his long-winded fish stories, his humor, and his unwavering passion for the outdoors.

Lou lived life on his own terms—with a fishing rod nearby, an adventure ahead, and a deep appreciation for the places and people he loved. His legacy lives on in the waters of Banks Lake, in the fish and wildlife he worked to protect, and in the many lives he touched along the way.

He will be deeply missed.