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David Nyquist Obituary

David Nyquist passed away after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 he was 74. He was born in New York City. He acquired an academic diploma from George Washington High School in Manhattan and received B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Marine Biology from the University of Nevada in Reno. He was a National Institute of Health Fellow and received his Ph.D. in Limnology from Utah State University in Logan. He served in the U.S. Army and was a Vietnam veteran with the rank of Major. He was assigned to the Army Environmental Hygiene Agency. His service time was stateside at the Aberdeen Proving Ground formerly known as the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. David was an assistant professor in the Water Resources Department at the University of Alaska. He returned to the 'lower 48' to accept a position with the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC. Wishing to return to the western US, David accepted a position with the Atomic Energy Commission in Las Vegas, Nevada and later at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He later returned to Las Vegas, where he was one of the founders of the Desert Research Institute. The final move to Boulder, CO was to work for the National and Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Living in the foothills in Boulder County he developed a passion for fire protection and wildfire mitigation. He became a firefighter with the Lefthand Fire Protection District in 1981 and was appointed Chief in 1985. He served as Chief for 22 years, retiring in 2007. He was an active member of the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Teams for over two decades. He was instrumental in the development of several wildland fire programs for Boulder County residents. The WHIMS (Wildfire Hazard Identification and Mitigation System) was a county program that he helped to develop. He worked throughout the county as a Certified State Fire Inspector. He became a qualified Type 2 Logistics Section Chief and Safety Officer and dedicated many years to wildland fire response with the regional and county Incident Management Teams. In recent years he served as a Fire Marshal with Rocky Mountain Fire Authority and remained active as a Logistics Section Chief with the Boulder County Type 3 Incident Management Team. In addition to his love of firefighting, David was a private pilot and enjoyed flying. He was an NRA instructor and an officer or member of many societies and organizations. David is survived by his wife Carla, his son David Henry and a Sister, Marydee. David's parents and a daughter, Robyn Lee proceeded him in death. A memorial service with firefighter and military honors will be held on Monday, May 20th at the Lifebridge Christian Church 10345 Ute Highway in Longmont beginning at 10:00 a.m. Members of the Community is are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Lefthand Fire Protection District or Rocky Mountain Fire Authority. To offer condolences please visit: www.greenwoodmyersfuneral.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Longmont Times-Call on May 18, 2013.

Memories and Condolences
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Don Wireman

April 16, 2014

I worked with David when he was with the AEC. He let me take control of his plane for a minute as we flew from Vegas to the Nevada Test Site. Finest man I ever met.

Steve Davis

May 21, 2013

Chief Nyquist was a good man. He was that guy that was on every call, always there when you needed him, helping his community until the end! Rest in peace Chief..

Laura McConnell

May 20, 2013

"Uncle" Dave thanks for the many years of service, mentoring, and above all friendship! Truly appreciate all youve done for us! Rest in peace and say hello to those who have gone before you! Love and God bless -- RIP Chief ~ you will be missed!

Elaine Stamman

May 19, 2013

Hi Carla and Henry:

I often look back on the old OCSEAP days with such great memories -- I was straight out of college and thought that was the way all jobs were. What was special was the great team that we had, and Dave was front and center on that team. We all had some great times, and some great disagreements, but, what was special,was that we could put disagreements aside because we remained friends. Dave was a terrific scientist, friend, mentor, and all around funny guy -- I'm glad to see the moustache survived to the end!

My thoughts are with you, and I share in your loss.

Austin Blood

May 19, 2013

God bless you, Chief.

This says it all

May 18, 2013

I kept my promise. See you in a better place. Claudia Kutscher

Kathy Kerwin

May 17, 2013

My thoughts and prays to the family. I worked with Dave on fires and training when I was a volunteer with Lyons Fire District, he will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of learning, training and working along side of him. He was a great man and always looked up to.

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To offer your sympathy during this difficult time, you can now have memorial trees planted in a National Forest in memory of your loved one.

Funeral services provided by:

Greenwood & Myers Mortuary - Boulder

2969 Baseline Road, Boulder, CO 80303

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