Duane Nichols

September 13, 1941 - October 29, 2017

Gary Duane Nichols was born on September 13, 1941 to Oral Marie Keller and Roy Arthur Nichols. He was the oldest of 6 children and was raised in Santa Monica, CA. From an early age Gary was always trying to please his parents. Despite the family’s proximity to the ocean Gary was never one to skip school and head to the beach. He was focused on his studies and always seemed to do well, especially with the sciences. Gary was also driven to accomplish his goals. After getting his license he wanted a car and so he got a job delivering artwork to homes in the area on his bicycle. Gary graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1958 and then attended one year of school at Santa Monica Community College. At the age of 19 Gary chose to serve a 2 ½ year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His mission covered the countries of Uruguay and Paraguay. Some of his experiences seemed to feel more like a movie rather than a mission like we think of today. We loved to hear his stories. On one occasion he was involved in a bus crash where the bus rolled down a mountain in the mud 3 or 4 times and miraculously no one was injured or killed. On another occasion when transferring from one area to another he was trapped in a hotel in Argentina during a political uprising for a few days before things settled down and he was able to return to the mission offices. His experiences while serving the Lord had great influence on his testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ. This testimony would only be strengthened throughout the rest of his life. Upon returning from his mission Gary enrolled at Brigham Young University where he was surprised to have two other roommates named Gary. Not wanting to create confusion he started going by his middle name Duane. He would go by Duane for the rest of his life. It was also at BYU that Duane met the love of his life, Marjorie Hyde. He and Marjorie would be married in the Los Angeles Temple on September 11, 1965. Together they raised 5 children in Rowland Heights, CA., Greg, Ryan, Cameron, Stephanie, and Elise. Duane’s love for Marjorie was a great example to his children of how a man should treat his wife. He always placed her on a pedestal, he cherished her, and he put her first in almost everything he did. Together they shared 52 years of marriage on this earth, but look forward to eternity together. Duane’s chosen vocation was to teach Biology at Alhambra High School. He taught for 38 years. He loved to teach and see his students learn and embrace new concepts. He started a BioMed program that influenced the lives of many young students. He was honored to be awarded as a National Teacher of the Year. Under his tutelage his students competed and placed nationally in science fairs year after year. It is not uncommon to have his students say that his influence in their lives was of great impact in who they are today and the professions that they chose. Duane was a great father. Despite his busy schedule that included teaching at the High School and other jobs to provide more income for his family he was also focused spending time with each of his children. He would often invite his children to run errands with him and then swing by to get an ice cream. He spent a lot of time in the mountains with his boys teaching them to fish, how to camp, and respect for the environment. His sons learned to work side by side with him on projects as routine as taking care of the yard to restoring a boat. He loved to pamper his daughters. He would take them on daddy daughter dates and let them know how special they were. He was known to be their secret admirers at times in their lives. He loved and cared for all his children and they never doubted it. Throughout his life Duane served in various capacities in the church and he approached them all with the same energy and passion. Two of his favorite callings were serving the members of Rowland Heights, CA as the Bishop and later as Patriarch of the Hacienda Heights, CA Stake. Duane was the type of person that people were drawn to. He was genuine, kind, loving and truly brought the best out of people. He was known for giving great hugs and being a great friend and listener to anyone that needed it. Throughout his life he was known by many names: Gary, Duane, Mr. Nichols, Bishop, Brother Nichols, Patriarch, Honey, Dad, and Papa. But in the end he will be remembered by his greatest attribute…he was Christlike! Duane is preceded in death by his parents, Oral and Roy, and his brother Daniel Keith. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie, Highland, UT; son Greg (Angie) Logan, UT; son Ryan, Huntington Beach, CA; son Cameron (Jeri), Draper, UT; daughter Stephanie (Ryan) Gunstream, Roseville, CA; daughter Elise (Dan) Franklin, Meridian, ID. Duane was blessed with eleven grandchildren that called him Papa. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, November 4th at 12:00 Noon at the Highland LDS Chapel located at 11162 North Alpine Highway, Highland, Utah, where a Viewing will be held prior to services from 10:00 to 11:30 am. Interment in Highland City Cemetery, 6200 West 11000 North, Highland, Utah. Funeral Directors: Utah Valley Mortuary.