Lloyd Nichols 1944-2007

This week there has been a great loss. On Sunday the Nichols family lost their patriarch- Lloyd. He died suddenly at only 63 while working in the yard. This is also a great loss to the wood pellet industry. Lloyd was the first to import a wood pellet boiler from Europe. His dedication and drive were unparalleled. He was our friend and colleague and we will miss him so. We have a spent a great deal of time with him at hearth functions, as well as going up to get a first hand experience with his system in his home. He was a pillar in his community. The Nichols family have run the general store, and hardware store in town for generations. Llloyd branched out to pellet stoves, and later the pellet boiler technology. He has left some very large shoes to be filled and we will all miss him greatly. Here is a poem from his memorial service that we attended yesterday that I reprint in his memory:

The Dash

by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke of the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line was worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,

The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;

Are there things you'd like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what's true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger

And show more appreciation

And love the people in our lives

Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect

And more often wear a smile,

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being ready

With your life's actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?