We regret to advise that Julius "Nick" Nicklom died on 13 January 2007.
Nick was born in 1921 in Big Valley, AB of a pioneering farm family that had immigrated from Estonia. He attended a local one-room schoolhouse until the age of 13 when he went to live in a dormitory in town and attend high school. After completing high school, in 1937 he travelled with his brother Henry to BC to find work. In Ocean Falls, he found employment in a pulp mill, working on the railway and working as a mechanic.
Nick joined the Canadian Army in 1941 and served overseas in Britain, France and Germany as a member of the 4th Armoured Division and as a dispatch rider. He participated in the D-Day landings and in the liberation of Holland in 1945.
Upon his discharge, he returned to Vancouver and worked hard pursue his education, earning an Engineering Degree from UBC. After graduation in 1951, he returned to the Army, joining the Royal Canadian Engineers in Chilliwack. Nick enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the Engineers, including an eighteen-month Peacekeeping tour in the Middle East in 1960 as part of the United Nations. He also built NORAD bases in the Arctic and worked for three years in Whitehorse in charge of maintaining the Northwest Highway.
Retiring in 1968, Nick went to work as a consulting civil engineer in London, Ontario. He finished his engineering career in Calgary, working on the Olympic Park in Calgary and the Olympic Ski Facilities in Kananaskis, including the Kananaskis Highway. After his retirement, he sold real estate in Calgary, owned and operated a Mexican restaurant and performed volunteer work, helping seniors prepare their tax returns.
A Memorial service was held on 4 February at Woodlawn Mt. Cheam Funeral Home, Chilliwack, BC. Following the service, a remembrance of Nick's life took place at the Best Western Rainbow Country Inn, Chilliwack. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made in Nick's name to the Canadian Diabetes Association.