South Pomfret - Longtime resident of the Pomfret Valley and Lake Seymour, Vermont, passed away on February 3rd . Jess loved the life he had and he lived it fully and well. To family and friends he had a large personality in a large frame and there was no doubt when you were in his presence.
Even as his health declined, he was never one to complain. There was no grief, no bouts of anger or denial. It was as if, for him, it would sound ungrateful given the life he'd led and the love he shared with his wife and family.
Lumberman, entrepreneur, specialty knife distributor and collector, railroad aficionado, cartoonist, lord of the limerick, storyteller, and consumer of big bellied fried clams at Tozier's, he led a life of quiet accomplishment. When he was running Vermont Pacific, a veneer and plywood business, he was in his element in the company of loggers and the smell of freshly cut timber. Always on the prowl for a "new" diner, his all-time favorite was The Wasp. Jess was a skilled fly fisherman. It was a passion he shared with his family. He wet lines in the wild rivers of Alaska, Wyoming, and Canada, the bonefish and permit flats of the Bahamas and Mexico, as well as the rivers, lakes, and streams of his beloved Vermont.
On October 10, 1954 he married Lee Lonegren. They had five sons, Jesse IV (Amy), David, Brad (Dorothy), Stephen, and John. He has four grandchildren, Jesse V (Lorren), Benjamin, Mara, and Ella Nichols who have been blessed with wonderful memories and the storytelling of "Poppie." He has two brothers, Ashton Nichols and John Hopkins, and one sister, Suzie Hopkins. He was predeceased by a sister, Nikki Clifford.
On June 27, 1980, Jess married Janice Gramling, his loving and devoted wife. She was his selfless caregiver and best friend until his death. Dad would often say how blessed he was to have her in his life. With their four-legged fur ball Music, they were inseparable. Thank you Janice for loving our father.

Fisherman's Prayer

I pray that I may live to fish
Until my dying day
And when I come to my last cast
I then most humbly pray
When in the Lord's safe landing net
I'm peacefully asleep
That in His mercy I'll be judged
As good enough to keep.

We are grateful to the wonderful staff at Mertens House who helped him and our family during his final weeks.

Private Memorial. Donations may be made to Mertens House.