Lee A. Nicholes of Carbonville, Utah passed away peacefully at home on November 11, 2020. Lee was born on October 5, 1930 in his grandmother Emma Catherine Syndergaard’s home in Salt Lake City, Utah. Lee is survived by wife Bonnie, his first wife JoAnn Blackley Nicholes, his three children, Patricia (Roy) Hampton, Cheri Tucker, and Mike (Gina) Nicholes; brother Verlin Nicholes, sister Beverly Allred; 8 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. He is pre-deceased by his parents Leroy Gjettrup Nicholes and Emma Catherine Syndergaard, 3 infant siblings, a sister- in-law Fran (Verlin) Nicholes, and 2 grandchildren, Jeffrey and Don Hampton.
Lee attended Sharon Elementary School, in Orem, Utah, and graduated from Orem High School in Orem, Utah in 1948. Lee loved playing football with one of his high school his buddies, Lavell Edwards. Lee married his high school sweetheart JoAnn Blackley in the Salt Lake City Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1949. Lee attended Brigham Young University from 1948-1949 and during this time Lee was in the United States Navy reserves. He was called to active duty in the United States Navy in 1950 during the Korean War. He served as a hospital corpsman at the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. After being honorably discharged from the Navy in 1952, Lee returned to BYU where he graduated in 1956 with a major in Education and a minor in Physical Education. Lee was also a member of the BYU track team.
Lee was an educator for 15 years and taught at Granger, Olympus and Kearns High Schools where he also coached track, football and basketball. Lee decided to change careers and became his own boss with his company Rainbow Carpet Cleaning.
After hiking into the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming, Lee saw an outfitter with a string of horses and decided that was the way to go. Lee loved packing “dudes” all over the Wind Rivers, the Book Cliffs, and other mountains in Utah and also the Valley of Fire in Nevada.
Lee was one of the founding members of the Rocky Mountain Mule Club. After each trip Lee would do a write-up in the club newsletter.
Lee also liked to help gather cattle for Butch and Jeannie Jensen when he could in the spring and fall.
Lee married his wife Bonnie on March 30, 2007 and moved her from Phoenix, Arizona to Green River, Utah a few months later. Lee earned the nickname of “Tour Guide Extra-ordinaire” after taking Bonnie on a few mule rides in the San Rafael Swell area and the Bookcliffs. They also spent some time taking short trips in the Wind River Mountains. They were later sealed in the Manti Utah Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on August 3, 2013.
Lee will be greatly missed by his family and friends.