Richard "Dick" Nourse

St. George, Utah – Richard Henry "Dick" Nourse, 83, passed away peacefully surrounded by family May 18, 2023, at his home in St George, Utah. Dick was born March 8, 1940, in Grand Junction, Colorado to Harry Richard and Sarah Lovell Poole Nourse and was the youngest of three children.
Dick will forever be known as the face of KSL and Utah news for over 40 years, but he was more than just the news. He began his broadcasting career in radio at KREX radio, serving Western Colorado and Eastern Utah, AM and FM in Grand Junction. His shift to TV started with a stop in Salt Lake City in 1964 to visit his brother. He was on his way to a job in Sacramento when KSL offered him a position, and the rest is history.
After a year on the news desk by himself, KSL lured weatherman Bob Welti and sportscaster, Paul James from Channel 4, and one of the longest running, most popular anchor teams ever was born.
Over his 43 years as a newsman at KSL, he anchored a conservative estimate of more than 20,000 newscasts. His first big story was a plane crash on Nov. 11, 1965. Nourse was the only Utah television reporter to go to Vietnam during the war and he returned in 1997. Other big stories he covered included the Ted Bundy murder trial, the Hi-Fi murders in Ogden, the Mark Hofmann forgeries and murders, fundamentalist/ polygamist John Singer shot and killed by law enforcement and nine years later, the retaliatory attack by his family. Among the highlights of his career were two moments that came with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. He and Wimmer traveled to Greece to accompany the torch to Utah. And Nourse was one of those chosen to carry the torch in the relay. He was touched and honored.
His career nearly ended in 1980, when Nourse received a devastating diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Nourse had chemotherapy treatments, lost 60 pounds and all his hair, but he came back to work. For decades, Nourse put his heart and soul into the fight for a cure for cancer. He cheered on hundreds who called him when they learned they had cancer. He even wore little, yellow shorts on the newscast, the night of that cancer run, because a viewer promised to donate $50 more to the American Cancer Society. Then in 1996, Nourse battled cancer again, this time prostate cancer. Doctors caught it early; it had not spread into his lymph nodes or surrounding tissue. The key was early detection, with both a physical exam and a blood antigen test.
Then, 17 years later, at age 72, the fight began again. After experiencing a nagging sore throat four months before, Nourse was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, caused by a virus. The man with the golden voice had throat cancer. The tumor was nearly as big as a golf ball. Doctors removed it and what they could not get was treated with radiation and chemotherapy. Five days a week for six weeks, he climbed onto a table, put on a mask, and held still under a machine that zapped him 11 times with a high-level X-ray beam. The procedure was painless however, not the after-effects. His 30th and final radiation treatment at LDS Hospital in February 2013 took 15 minutes, followed by high-fives and hugs all around, including with his radiation therapists. Dick would like to be remembered as somebody who really cared about the silent oath he made to himself to hold to the high standards of journalism. Nothing bothered him more than how some in America came to think of journalism as fake news. KSL 5 viewers trusted him to deliver the news and he did it with passion, but he also wanted to share his private challenges to let us all know despite his "larger than life" image - he was one of us. Dick Nourse was a broadcast legend and a dear friend to so many.
He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Debra Mae (Peterson); his four children: Tiffani (Ryan) Forsey, Brittani (Nicholas) Lunnen, Deryck (Tiara) Belnap and Dayne Nourse; and his beloved grandchildren: Carson, Tyson, Jackson, Charli, Preslee, Ellie, Kale, Greysen, Lennux, and Levyn. Along with many more cousins, nieces, and nephews throughout Utah, Colorado and the West.
He is preceded in death by both his parents; brother, Vincent; sister, Dimetra (Jack) Mitchell; daughter, Giana LaRee; and son, Brian Richard Nourse.
He also was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and though his activity ebbed and flowed, he never denied his faith.
Written by Carol Mikita.
Funeral services will be held Friday, May 26, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. in the Southgate 2nd Ward Chapel, 1068 West Chandler Drive, St. George, Utah 84770. A visitation will be held Thursday evening from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the church.
Livestreaming of services may be viewed at the following link: https://southgatestake.com/
passcode: 52952 Richard Nourse Funeral Service Program