Richard Nimtz

Richard was born in 1924 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He lived there until 1943 and joined the Naval Air Corps at the age of 19. He earned his wings as a pilot in Corpus Christi, Texas. While on a brief leave, he met his wife in Manitowoc. Several weeks later, they got married in Corpus Christi. When he moved for further training in Florida, his wife moved back to Chicago to finish her nursing degree.

After being relocated for more training in San Diego, his squadron flew to Saipan in the Mariana Islands. While in Saipan, the war ended. After being discharged from the service, he decided to go to Evanston, Illinois. His wife had an apartment near Northwestern University.
He entered the university on the GI Bill and graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry. After working several years in Chicago, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, he didn't like Milwaukee much, He took the plunge and moved to Rhinelander, Wisconsin, to be closer to the lakes and trees. In Rhinelander, he worked for the Rhinelander Paper Company as a paper chemist.

Two years later, the Rhinelander Paper Company and Weyerhaeuser built a paper mill in Longview, Washington. He was asked to move there and set up the laboratory. In 1955, his family, along with 23 other families, relocated to Longview. He settled there and worked as a technical director until his retirement at the age of 55 in 1982.

During his retirement, he joined the Salvation Army Board and chaired the Housing Committee. However, during his time there, the shelter for the homeless became dysfunctional. He took over the homeless problem and purchased a 60-room hotel. With the help of local churches, civic organizations, and others, they completely renovated the hotel both inside and out. Not only were they able to provide housing, but they also established a dining room to feed people. The shelter was so successful that Richard severed his relationship with the Salvation Army and chose to become independent.

In addition to running the shelter, Richard took courses at the local university and junior college to further his education. He obtained real estate, broker, and insurance licenses, and also studied Spanish, German, Drawing, and Computers.

His first wife passed away in 1992, and a year later, he met his current wife and moved to Pocatello, Idaho, to live with her and her mother. While in Pocatello, he joined the local homeless shelter board and the Knights of Columbus.

During a state convention for the Knights in Lewiston, Idaho, he fell in love with Northern Idaho and decided to move out of Pocatello. He found a place to live in Lewiston and eventually settled in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He joined the Knights and the St. Vincent De Paul Board. He served as a member of the St. Vincent De Paul Board for about 7 years and acted as a secretary for several years.

Richard passed away on June 12, 2023.