Nick Lauter

1972 - 2021

Nick Lauter
Ames - Nick Lauter, 48, of Ames, Iowa died of a pulmonary embolism on January 7, 2021. A public visitation will be held on Saturday, January 16, from 12 until 2 PM at the Adams Funeral Home in Ames; a private memorial service will take place on Sunday, January 17 at 10:00 AM CST, and will be livestreamed. A link will be provided on the Tribute Wall of Nick's obituary on the Adams Funeral Home website.
Nicholas Christopher Lauter was born on December 13, 1972 in Appleton, Wisconsin, the son of Charles and Estella (Loomis) Lauter. Nick was a member of the Appleton Boy Choir and spent two years in Germany—one in Kassel with his family and one as a Rotary Scholar in Siegen—before graduating from East High School in 1991, where he played soccer and sang in the school choir. At Grinnell College, he majored in Biology, toured with the Grinnell Singers and served as the student manager of German House, earning a BS in 1995. Under the supervision of John Doebley, he earned his PhD in Plant Biology at the University of Minnesota (UMN) in 2001 and completed post-doctoral work at the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana in 2005. Nick met Adrienne Moran when they were graduate students at UMN, and they were married at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens on September 13, 2003.
Nick came to Ames in 2005 as a USDA-ARS Research Geneticist and Faculty Affiliate at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, focusing on maize genetics and genomics, quantitative genetics of disease and pest resistance, plant development, and more. Nick was an active member of the maize genetics community for over 20 years, collaborating with researchers in the US and abroad, publishing papers in journals such as The Plant Genome, PNAS, and Genetics.
Nick grew up exploring in the woods of Door County, WI, developing a life-long love of trees, plants and the outdoors. He sailed and wind-surfed on the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. As a graduate student, he was a principal trip leader for the UMN Outdoors Club. In Ames, he planted many trees around the Somerset development as a member of the HOA. He spent much time outdoors paddling on local lakes and rivers, skiing and snowboarding, biking and one-wheeling. He was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames. He was active in Scouting with his sons. Nick was a well-loved member of the community and his profession.
Nick is survived by Adrienne; three children, Colfax, Quinton and Ashton; sister, Kristin (husband Thomas) of Redmond, WA; parents, Charles and Estella Lauter of Fish Creek, WI; in-laws, Thomas and Andrea Moran of Tampa, Florida; brother-in-law, Jim (Sherri) Moran of St. Petersburg, Florida; nieces, Josephine, Joyce and Kayla and nephews Tyler and Cooper; and cousins in the Gates, Lauter, Goodman, Loomis and Lawrence families across the country.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to either: the Nicholas C. Lauter Scout Troop 160 Activities Fund, in care of Adrienne Moran Lauter, or Grinnell College in Nick's honor.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.adamssoderstrum.com
Adams Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.