Arnold J. "Nik" Nikula

Arnold J. "Nik" Nikula was born September 11, 1932, to Aarne Jacob Nikula (Father) and Anna Mary Mattson (Mother) in Wakefield (Upstate) Michigan. He passed away peacefully at home on July 27, 2025, in his 93rd year after a long and very healthy, active life with his family by his side, seeing him off on his next journey.
Nik was the eldest of 7 brothers and sisters whom he loved dearly. After the premature death of their beloved father at the age of 40, when Nik was 10 years old, he became more than an elder brother to his siblings and a very big help to his widowed mother, Anna, in helping her with the finances and the home – sometimes working two to three jobs to help the family.
While he worked hard for his family, he also found time for sports and other activities like fishing. He played baseball and football for Wakefield High School, and he was a quick nose guard for the team. He remained "fleet of foot" his entire life.
After graduation, Nik worked for the forest service in upstate Michigan and also worked in the lumber industry with his family. When the Korean War broke out, he enlisted in the Navy and trained to be an Aviation Electronics Technician on a B-26 (based out of Okinawa) where he flew low altitude reconnaissance missions over North Korean and Communist Chinese enemy positions on the Korean Peninsula.
He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1955 and returned home with ideas of becoming an engineer, where his career aspirations took him to the University of Idaho, Moscow – one of the finest engineering schools at the time – and was a "Blue Key Honorary." There he studied to become an electrical engineer and did quite well. While attending college, he, again, worked for the U.S. Forest Service (during the summer breaks) in Montana and Wyoming and was present during the infamous Yellow Stone Earthquake of 1959.
He also did quite well in meeting and marrying his bride Sandra Lee Wright (a fellow student), from Salt Lake City, Utah. Nik and Sandi had three children – Randee, Arn and Eriik - and started their family adventures and his career with General Electric - moving around the country with his work to places like San Diego, Western New York, Fort Worth Texas, and finally to Hoffman Estates, Illinois – where the family could be closer to his mother, stepfather and brothers' and sisters' families in Michigan and Wisconsin. His and Sandi's family also made lifelong friends on Mayfield Lane in Chicago, Illinois.
In the spring of 1972, Nik and Sandi made a life-changing decision for the entire family by taking a job with Motorola and moving to the desert of Scottsdale Arizona – where Nik and Sandi and all of their kids would thrive. Nik's career took him to many places in the U.S.
and all over the world – including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe – and he was often able to travel with Sandi at his side. He passed his adventurous spirit on to his children.
Never one to stay idle, after retiring from Motorola in the early 1990s, he started a successful business with his long-time friend and business partner.
Nik was an avid downhill snow skier (starting when he was a child). He also enjoyed distance running, and regardless of the weather or the temperature could be counted on to run a good five miles on any given day.
Nik enjoyed spending time with his family on travels, eating at good restaurants, at sporting events including football and baseball, and enjoyed watching his children and grandchildren and his wife participate in all sorts of sports, including football, baseball, soccer, softball. He always encouraged his children in whatever sporting activities in which they participated and would often help them with additional resources in order that they could do their absolute best.
He enjoyed spending time with his wife, children, his children's families, gardening, taking care of his two Labrador dogs, Dolly and Missy, growing citrus trees, landscaping, fixing things of all sorts – including appliances, cars, and making furniture, tiling floors, walls, shelf building and carpentry and painting. He was a self-taught, self-made man and was a voracious reader of the news, fact-based (historic) fictional books and biographies. Later in life he enjoyed going to the movies and dinners with his wife, Sandi.
He is survived by his loving wife, Sandi, and his children Randee (Brian), Arn (Kerry) and Eriik (Layla). He is survived by his brother, Mel, and sisters MaryAnn and Carol. He is preceded in death by his brothers Kenneth, Alvin and Clifford. He has 10 grandchildren – his grandson, Sam, preceding him death - and 9 great-grandchildren.
Nik was a quiet, modest man who deeply loved his family. Most never knew about his background and his life's achievements. He was a true renaissance man, who grew up quickly during the Great Depression and worked hard to achieve his and his family's American Dream. We owe him everything. His passing has left a huge hole in our lives and we will truly miss him.
A celebration of life for Nik will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 6840 E. Gold Dust Avenue, Scottsdale Arizona 85253 on Friday, August 8 at 2:00 p.m. (Viewing – 1:00 p.m.)
Live Stream Link: https://vimeo.com/event/5293055