Word has been received of the death of 1964 Wayland High School graduate Dennis Nickels, most recently from Spring Lake.
Mr. Nickels graduated from Ferris State University and was a registered pharmacist, at one time working at his father’s family business, Nickel’s Drug Store, on West Superior Street. He had the distinct honor of being Wayland’s first representative on the Allegan County Board of Commissions, elected in 1972.
He was born on Sept. 15, 1945, the eldest child of the late Edward and Barbara (Lynch) Nickels of Wayland. Dennis graduated from Ferris State University’s College of Pharmacy in 1969 and worked for his father’s Wayland-based business, Nickels Pharmacy. He later established and ran his own Nickels Pharmacy in Plainwell.
While attending Ferris, Dennis met Randi (Randolph) Nickels, and the couple wed on June 20, 1970, and celebrated 50 years of marriage earlier this year. Dennis completed his MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 1988 and subsequently began a productive career as a consultant and principal with Deloitte Consulting. Among his many accomplishments, Dennis’ leadership laid the groundwork for the expansion of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine to Grand Rapids.
Following his “retirement” from Deloitte in 2008, Dennis remained active on the Alumni Boards of Directors for Ferris State University’s School of Pharmacy and the O’Hara Society for the University of Notre Dame. He was appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to the Michigan State Waterways Commission in 2012, on which he served as chairman.
As a member of The Ferris Foundation Board of Directors, Dennis also served as a member of the Now & Always Campaign Cabinet, the Pharmacy Strategic Planning Task Force, the Pharmacy Forward Steering Committee, and the MBA Advisory Board. He gave his time, energy, and financial resources to support students, faculty and staff for generations to come.
Dennis and Randi were avid boaters for more than 25 years, voyaging on many maritime adventures on the Great Lakes and beyond. Dennis held a U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s License and a U.S. Merchant Marine 100ton Ship’s Master License.
Besides boating, Dennis was an outdoor sportsman who enjoyed hunting, fly fishing in the streams of Michigan and Colorado, and marlin fishing expeditions in Baja. After all his travels, Leland, MI remained his favorite spot, and he and his family shared many happy memories together in “Fishtown.”.Intensely proud of his Irish heritage, Dennis lived for football Saturdays when he would blast the Notre Dame fight song at top volume and cheer on the Fighting Irish.
Dennis will live on through his daughters, Katie and Sarah. Dennis also is survived by his wife Randi (Carol) Nickels; daughters Katie Howard and Sarah Nickels; son-in-law Andrew Howard; daughter-in-law Jamie Sheren; granddaughters Emma Howard and Julia Howard; siblings Edward (Jane) Nickels, Patricia (Richard) Nickels, Kathleen (Alexander) VanderWeert, and Phillip (Rose) Nickels; in-laws Lew and Diane Banwart and Linda Randolph; nieces/nephews: Jenny (Josh) Frick, Phillip Nickels, Jr., Keith (Corey) Nickels, Kimberly Lewis, Aaron (Karyn) Nickels, Kim VanderWeert, Steven Wagstaff, and Ann Yenquis, among many other cherished family members.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Dennis and the Nickels family have a long and rich history with Ferris State University. His father, Edward W. Nickels graduated from the College of Pharmacy and Randi is also a graduate of Ferris.
To honor the Nickels family, Dennis and Randi established the Edward W. and Barbara J. Nickels Memorial Scholarship to support pharmacy students at Ferris State University. The endowed scholarship is awarded to students who have the highest financial need in the pharmacy program.
The family is asking in lieu of flowers that memorial gifts be made to The Ferris Foundation at 420 Oak Street, Prakken 101, Big Rapids MI 49307 or online at: https://www.ferris.edu/giving
