David D. Nicholas

A celebration of life for David D. Nicholas, a Surprise, Ariz., resident for the past five years, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Mountain View Mortuary Chapel in Reno, followed by interment at Mountain View Cemetery in Reno.

Mr. Nicholas died Feb. 27, 2004, following a lengthy illness. He was born Feb. 1, 1930, in Cleveland to John Simmons and Charlotte Wood Nicholas. They also lived in Switzerland and Utica and Rome , N.Y.

He graduated from Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, attended Colgate University, and received a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1955, mostly in Germany, as a member of the Counter Intelligence Corps. He was in the Army Reserve for another five years after.

Mr. Nicholas moved to Northern Nevada in 1973, where he was news director and anchorman at KOLO-TV. Retiring from TV, he was appointed by Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan as state comprehensive health planner prior to being named executive director of the Nevada Health Care Association and doing private consulting and lobbying. .He lived in Reno and spent 14 years in Incline Village and 10 years in Carson City.

Mr. Nicholas was elected to the State Legislature in 1980 and served four terms. He was chairman of the Nevada Developmental Disabilities Council, a member of the International Visitors Council of Northern Nevada, a member of the PBS board of directors, a member of the Washoe County Mental Health Board, charter member and president of the Incline Village Rotary Club and a member of the Incline Village Optimist Club.

He received the Nevada Public Health Association Silver Anniversary Award and the Incline Village-Crystal Bay Man of the Year award. He was a member of the senior associate faculty of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, taught several courses at Western Nevada Community College, and co-hosted a political editorial program for the Northern Nevada PBS radio station.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Jack, and sister Mary.

Among his survivors are his wife of 37 years Kay Lee; children Randy, Scott, Lisa, David and Steven; daughters Kristina and Mary Suzanne; sister and brother-in-law Nancy and Harlan Wengert; 12 grandchildren; 12 nieces and nephews; and his first wife Nancy Rau Lancaster.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Camino del Sol Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.