Obituary of Larry Dee Nichols

Larry Dee Nichols passed away in Osseo, MN, on November 9, 2023 at the age of 88 from complications from Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. He was the only child of Ida Angela Parker Nichols and Starkey Dee Nichols, born in Texarkana, Texas on May 16, 1935.

Larry worked as an architect for over 50 years after graduating from the University of Texas-Austin and earning a Masters of Urban Design from Cornell University. He was a Seabee in the Navy (Construction Battalion) from 1959-1963, supervising the rebuilding of airstrips on Guam & the Kwajalein Atoll. In 1963 he fell in love and married Wilhelmina van der Kuip, a Montessori teacher who had immigrated from Holland to the United States. Together they traveled to and lived in many states while raising two daughters and a foster daughter.  Their marriage lasted 57 years.

Larry was a man of many interests: he enjoyed photography, lawn care, gardening, computers, classical & jazz music, caring for his grandson and spending time with his beloved wife. In 1966 he measured & created drawings of many historic textile mills in the New York State & Massachusetts for a brand new organization called the National Register of Historic Places. These beautiful & accurately rendered drawings are preserved in the Library of Congress & Smithsonian Institution. Larry continued his work as an architect until age 76 when his talents and dreams were cut short by Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.

Larry is survived by daughters Deirdre Laura Rasmussen (Brian Rasmussen), Heather Saskia Nichols (Cory Schroeder), and foster daughter Jane Ellen Caldwell (Tim Klitz); grandchildren Audrey Rasmussen, Peter Urbanek, and Erin Klitz.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 9 at St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Wayzata, MN.
In lieu of flowers a donation to the memorial garden at Ren in the Glen would be appreciated and would be enjoyed by thousands of guests every year.

Donations can be made to Ren in the Glen / Bailiwick Inc. 1442 Dunn St. Croix Rd, Downing, WI 54734