Jerome “Jerry” Nicholls passed away on May 6, 2026, at the age of 84 following complications from surgery.

Jerry lived a life marked by service, discipline, hard work, and deep care for family.

A devoted father, grandfather, friend, gifted engineer, and faithful Catholic, Jerry touched the lives of many through his generosity, high standards, and willingness to teach, build, and serve.

Jerry was born on March 27, 1942, in Great Falls, Montana, to Donald and Mable Nicholls. The second of four siblings, Jerry’s family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he grew up and attended St. Mary’s High School. There, he excelled in both football and baseball.

From a young age, Jerry possessed a remarkable analytical mind and a fascination with bridges that would become his life’s work. He earned a degree in Civil Engineering from St. Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington, and began his career with the Washington State Bridge Office in Olympia. Jerry later became the youngest engineer in Washington State history to earn a Structural Engineer license endorsement.

In 1968, Jerry moved to Spokane, where he served as a Spokane County Engineer, designing bridges throughout the region until his retirement in 1994. Retirement, however, proved only a transition. Jerry went on to found Nicholls Engineering (later Nicholls Kovich Engineering), where he continued designing bridges into his late seventies. Over the course of his distinguished career, Jerry contributed to the design of more than 300 bridges and earned national recognition, particularly for his expertise in prestressed concrete bridge design.

Jerry’s Catholic faith was central to his life. A parishioner of St. John Vianney Catholic Church for more than 50 years, he generously gave his time, treasure, and talents through parish council leadership, finance and building committees, school committees, and service as a Cub Scout and Webelos Scout leader.

With modest means and a love of the outdoors, weekends often meant camping, backpacking, and fishing trips through the mountains and lakes of Washington, Idaho, and western Montana — simple adventures that became treasured memories for his family. Though structured and exacting, Jerry also delighted in time with his children, creating adventures they remembered fondly.

Jerry was an avid pilot and often used his airplane to visit bridge inspection sites across Washington State — with golf clubs always packed, ready for an afternoon round after an early inspection. He loved sports and faithfully followed the Seattle Mariners, Seahawks, Gonzaga men’s and women’s basketball, Gonzaga Prep football, and local Spokane Indians and Chiefs games.

Jerry loved building, repairing, and solving problems, often devising elegant and efficient solutions. He completed projects around the family home that included a finished basement, custom cabinetry, automotive and appliance repair, outdoor improvements, treehouses and playhouses, and enormous swings that brought delight to the grandchildren he deeply loved.

Jerry is survived by his three siblings, two sons, ten grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter, all of whom will miss him dearly.