FALMOUTH – William Hart Nichols Jr., passed away at home in Falmouth, Maine, on Saturday, July 25, 2020, just 10 days short of his 90th birthday.

Bill was born in Hartford, Conn., in 1930 and grew up in Weston, Mass. His parents, W. Hart Nichols and Ruth Nichols, imbued him with strong values and a lifelong love of the outdoors. He met the love of his life, Janet Martin, on a blind date in high school; they were married in 1953. After graduating from Harvard University in 1952, he served as a Communications Officer in the U.S. Navy aboard the tanker U.S.S. Pawcatuck for two years.

Bill then joined the W. H. Nichols Company, the precision manufacturing business created by his grandfather, William Henry Nichols. Bill led the company’s expansion from its Waltham, Mass., headquarters to build a new manufacturing plant in Portland, Maine, in 1967 before adding four more plants in three other states. The company was sold to Parker-Hannifin in 1984. The Nichols Portland plant remains one of Portland’s largest employers today.

Bill and Jan raised their three children in Sudbury, Mass., in the ’60s and ’70s, During these years, Bill attended a Professional Management Development program at Harvard Business School and was active in the Young President’s Organization (YPO). He was deeply involved in the community in Waltham, Mass., including serving on the boards of BayBank Middlesex, Chapel Hill -Chauncy Hall School, and the Waltham Hospital.

Bill and Jan moved to Maine in 1981, residing in Cumberland Foreside, Yarmouth and Falmouth over the next 36 years. Their favorite place was the cabin they built on Kezar Lake in Lovell, Maine, in 1967, where their family and friends gathered for over 50 years.

Bill and Jan loved Maine and contributed to the community in many ways. While Jan opened a popular candy shop called Temptations in the Old Port from 1984-94, Bill enjoyed his leadership roles in several major endeavors related to Maine’s natural habitats, including the Maine Caribou project (1985-93), an attempt to repopulate caribou into Maine’s wilderness. He was elected to the Maine Atlantic Salmon Authority in 1998 and was appointed by then Gov. Angus King to serve as its Chairman until 2002. Bill served as Treasurer of the International Appalachian Trail Project during it’s first decade. This collaboration among countries on three continents successfully extended the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Canada, and eventually to Europe and Africa. Bill was later named the IAT’s first Honorary Director.

He was an avid fly fisherman, hunter and mountain climber; Bill entered the 4,000 Footer’s Club in 1990 when he completed summiting all of the 4000′-plus peaks in New Hampshire. In his early 50s, Bill was the oldest in his group to complete a two-week Outward Bound course at Maine’s Hurricane Island. He served on the boards of the Owls Head Museum of Transportation in Owls Head, Maine, the Susan L. Curtis Foundation, and the Moss Tent Company.

Bill’s greatest love was his family. He is survived by Jan, his wife of 67 years, and their three children: William Nichols III of Chicago, IL, Judy Paul of New York, N.Y., and Susan Nichols of Falmouth, Maine; four grandchildren: David Nichols (and spouse Rebecca Nichols), Scott Nichols (and partner Cam Pentimone), Evan Paul (and spouse Chelsea Paul) and Lindsey Paul; two great-grandchildren: Wyatt Nichols and Grant Nichols; sister Nancy Van Metre; brothers-in-law Allan Martin and James Van Metre and their families; and son-in-law Karamjeet Paul. Bill was predeceased by sister Betsy Galvin and her husband Harry, and sister-in-law, Sally Martin.

A memorial service will be held at a later date, when the COVID pandemic allows.

Please visit http://www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to view William’s online memorial.

Donations may be made in Bill’s memory to the Appalachian Mountain Club or the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham, Mass.