David Nichols, local author and founder of The Nichols Company, died in his home early this New Year's Eve due to complications from frontotemporal dementia. He was 66 years old.

A Fort Wayne native, Dave worked at Coney Island as a teenager and, in his telling, was the only employee in the restaurant's history who couldn't commit customers' orders to memory. His penchant for always having a notepad handy went on to suit him as a reporter at this paper and, later, as producer and editor of the I&M Power Company magazine. After the publication of his first book, Ernie's War, in 1986, Dave left I&M to devote himself to writing full time—a bold move for a young father. Studs Terkel wrote the book's foreward and became a friend and mentor. Ernie's War and its successor, Ernie's America, chronicled the life and writings of Ernie Pyle. Both books were national best-sellers.

Researching the books gave Dave the opportunity to retrace some of Pyle's road trips with his father, George. Dave's gift for storytelling came from his dad. And it was this gift that formed the basis for The Nichols Company, a marketing firm Dave ran with his wife, Mary Pat. The business operated out of an erstwhile corner grocery store they lovingly restored near their Lakeside home. After his brother, Dan, died young of cancer, Dave worked out his grief with a crowbar and sledgehammer, salvaging beautiful oak woodwork from the condemned St. Pat's convent, which he used to restore the old grocery turned marketing company. For this reason, each of the office doors bore the names of saints hand-painted in gold letters. He left the saints' names there because he loved the story they carried.

Gold-painted letters aside, Dave drew deep inspiration and sustenance from his Catholic faith. He was fascinated by the imagery at the heart of the Christian mysteries. And perhaps just as sustaining to his spirit were the screwball antics he and his pals got up to at Catholic school. Tales of the penguins vs. the boys, and gags and gigs he played with his bandmates in the Brown Band kept him in stiches throughout his life. (Dave's gift for raucous, uncontrollable laughter came from his mom, Pauline.)

And it was at Catholic high school, Bishop Dwenger, that Dave met his future wife, Mary Pat. Accounts vary, but all agree that Mary Pat was driving the car, that Dave was in the back seat, and that at least two—possibly three—of the car's wheels wound up on the curb at once. Dave, ever the keen observer, hazarded to mention this fact and Mary Pat summarily threw him out of her car. So began what would grow into a passionate, animated, and extraordinarily close marriage. Mary Pat was Dave's confidant, most trusted advisor, and beloved. They were married for 45 years.

The family they created together is one in which the love of stories and of laughter took root and multiplied. Dave loved reading to his children (and later the children of Forest Park Elementary.) His exuberance was contagious. He'd often blast James Brown's "I Feel Good" before dinner and instigate dance parties after dinner. He'd often drum his heart out in the basement and his daughters would sneak into the open bass drum so they could feel the beats reverberate through their bodies. He loved initiating and sustaining whimsical family traditions: surprise road trips to get root beer floats out of state, water fights, pumpkin gut fights, hobo dinners cooked in the fireplace, candy taxation, orange sherbert push-ups as the culmination of each bike ride, and beginning each family vacation road trip with Summertime, followed by All Day Music by War.

He loved what he loved with a boyish passion. Small planes. Swimming. Books. The Poconos. Popcorn. Short sentences. Drum solos. And trains of all sizes. He relished it all. And those who knew him will miss him dearly for it.

He is survived by his three daughters, Erin (Kevin) of Cleveland, Ohio, Meghan (Eric) of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Kate (Sassan) of Richmond, California; his grandson, Owen; and Mary Pat, his wife of forty-five years and the love of his life. He was preceded in death by his mother, Pauline Nichols, his father, George, and his brother, Dan.

Visitation is Friday, January 6, 2023 from 3:00 pm - 6:30 pm with time for shared memories at 5:30 pm at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Ave., Fort Wayne. Funeral Mass will be 10:30 am, Saturday, January 7, 2023 at Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 4916 Trier Rd with a calling one hour prior. Burial in Catholic Cemetery to follow. Preferred memorials to St. Patrick Clothing and Food Bank, 2120 South Harrison St., Fort Wayne, Ind. 46802.