William Nichols

William (Bill) Howard Nichols, 75, of Twin Falls, Idaho, passed away at home, surrounded by his loving family on November 1, 2019. Bill is survived by his wife Kathy (Kathryn Roberts); his children Russell (Tonia) Nichols, Angie (Brian Friedman) Nichols-Friedman, and Brad (Tereasa) Nichols; his siblings Ann Kerr, Camille Bolman, Tom Nichols, David Nichols, and Doug Nichols; and his grandchildren Gabriella, Alexandra, Abraham, Ira, and Lorelei. Bill was born in Rupert, Idaho, on August 21, 1944, to William Campbell Nichols and Eva Elizabeth Nichols. He grew up working on the family farm in Rupert milking cows, threshing beans, and bucking hay. Bill enjoyed playing basketball and football and graduated from Minico High School in 1962. Bill attended Ricks College in Rexburg, on a football scholarship. After earning his Associate in Arts in 1964, Bill continued his education at Brigham Young University, majoring in Communications with a minor in Sociology. Bill earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1966 and his Master of Arts in Communications in 1972. While at BYU, Bill began his career in radio broadcasting as a disc jockey and news reporter for KBYU. During his career, Bill covered news over-the-air at KBAR (Burley), KAIN (Nampa), and as "Wild Willy Billy" on KLIX (Twin Falls). During his time at KBAR, Bill met Kathy. They began dating, and he won over the Roberts family with his warmth, wit, and famous tacos - a meal that continues to be a family favorite. Bill and Kathy wed on September 21, 1968. Married for 51 years, they were partners in life and business until his passing.  In 1976, Bill and Kathy were bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and started Exchange Enterprises in Twin Falls. The Exchange was a bartering company that enabled its members to exchange goods and services for credit, which could be used like cash at member businesses. While managing the Exchange, Bill could still be heard on KLIX over the weekends. In the spring of 1985, Bill started looking for a new business opportunity. That summer, he came across a listing for used printing equipment being sold by a church in Choteau, Montana. A deal and a rented truck later, Bill and Kathy were in the printing business. Originally known as Blue Lakes Insta-Print, BLIP Printers opened its doors in November 1985. With no prior knowledge or experience in printing, Bill studied every bit of information he could on printing, paper, and plate setting and the whole family invested sweat equity. The business grew steadily over the years into a successful state of the art regional printing powerhouse. Bill developed an interest in photography and Idaho history in the 1990s when the City of Twin Falls was busy planning its centennial celebration. During this time, the late Ralph Smith approached Bill with a shoebox full of photos by Clarence Bisbee. Bisbee arrived in the Magic Valley in 1906 and took thousands of photographs documenting the area. Bill was so intrigued by the old photos that he was compelled to purchase his first camera, a Minolta X-9, from a local pawn shop. Armed with the camera and some film, Bill and Brad attempted to recapture the Bisbee's subjects for historical comparison. Thus began Bill's photography hobby/career. Bisbee's photos also sparked Bill’s interest in Idaho history. During his research, Bill learned that when Bisbee died in 1954, his glass plate negatives were sold at auction. While many were lost and destroyed, the Twin Falls Public Library had an extensive collection of about 2,500 glass negatives. After some negotiations, Bill and the library worked together for over two years to scan the glass negatives at super-high resolution and make the images publicly available. With the help of his employees and First Federal Bank, Bill and BLIP published twenty years of calendars featuring Bisbee’s historic photographs of the Magic Valley which were distributed to the community for free.  In the last 20 years, Bill became an accomplished photographer in his own right and took pictures professionally for BLIP and also for his own enjoyment—he was rarely seen without a camera in his hands. For example, Bill became the photographer for the Twin Falls County Fair and Rodeo in 2008. He also enjoyed taking pictures of local landmarks, events, and scenery. More recently, Bill became fascinated with Idaho ghost towns and spent many hours researching Idaho’s wild west history and many weekends venturing out to remote locations to document the remains of towns dating back to the 1860s that rose and fell with the gold rush. He loved taking his children and grandchildren to visit these magical places and he compiled his favorite ghost town photos into colorful and informative calendars that BLIP printed and shared with the community. Bill was awarded countless ribbons for his photography at the Twin Falls County Fair, including Best in Class and Best in Show. His photos are also on public display in numerous locations including the Twin Falls Municipal Airport, Twin Falls Public Library, Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls Visitor Center, and several local businesses. Bill made many friends and acquaintances through his love of photography and Idaho history and there were many occasions when people would seek Bill out at BLIP to talk about his photography or the Bisbee collection. It didn't matter what he was doing, Bill was always happy to sit down and chat with them.  While Bill is known best for his photography, he had many other interests and hobbies. As a young father, he was an avid gardener and had an extensive orchard. He also spent time with his sons Russell and Brad building and flying radio-controlled model airplanes. Family game nights often featured a fierce game of Monopoly or a competitive ping-pong tournament. Bill also loved competing at the local auction and would share the treasures and oddities he found with friends and family. He was such a regular attender that the auction concessionaire honored him with a menu item called the “Bill Nichols heart attack hot dog.” As a business owner, Bill was active in the community. BLIP was a member of the Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce, and Bill was an active member for many years. He also served on the Twin Falls Public Library Board of Trustees, the CSI Digital Media Advisory Committee and was a member of the Twin Falls County Historical Society. Bill was a loyal audience member and supporter of the Twin Falls Municipal Band since 1993. Bill will be greatly missed by his family, friends, employees, and members of the community. A viewing will be held Sunday, November 17, from 5 to 7 pm, and the funeral service will be held Monday, November 18, at 10 am at Parke's Magic Valley Funeral Home.  In place of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Bill Nichols Memorial Fund at any First Federal Savings Bank. Bill, like all parents and grandparents, believed in providing the best opportunities for his children and grandchildren. The memorial funds will be used towards his grandchildren's education.