Nicholls

Arlen Nicholls, 96, of Butler, passed away Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025.

He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Burch Nicholls and Bernice (Crooks) Keicher.

His former wife said that when she met him, he was a better-looking version of Steve McQueen. Photos don’t lie and she wasn’t lying. With his blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, he had been a AAA baseball player and walked with the ease of a lifelong athlete. He was just the coolest guy in the room without trying. With his easygoing Iowa personality, he had a way of relating to people from every walk of life … people just seemed to enjoy telling him their stories.

His entrepreneurial spirit and eye for future technology marked the span of his career. He started an employment agency, recruiting engineers for the electronics industry and then had the licensing for several sports and hobby instructional films during the infancy of the VCR.

Following his retirement, Arlen owned a string of racehorses in Iowa. He wasn’t big on gambling, but he loved the characters and the camaraderie he found at the track!

He had an innate sense of fairness and a drive for justice. He along with several other associates, successfully fought and won an open records case in the Iowa Supreme Court, against Iowa State University, which forced the open records and disclosure of private donations.

He was a loving and generous father. He raised his daughter, Heidi, with his former wife, Christel, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. When he was 65, he found out he had unknowingly fathered a daughter back in his single years living in Des Moines. Instead of stepping away, he embraced his newfound daughter, Sue, and her family, with the kindness and tenderness that was the hallmark of who he was.

A loyal friend, his life was greatly enriched by many close friendships, including lifelong friends, Frank Randolph and Rick Nord.

He is survived by his daughters, Heidi (Casey) Nicholls Bowser and Sue (Dan) Failor; grandchildren, Casey (Richard) Lazor Rosenow, Ava (Tom Bence) Lazor and Derek Failor; along with five great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Burch Nicholls and Bernice Keicher, both of Des Moines, Iowa; his brother, Nolan Nicholls of Florida; and a grandson, David Failor of Texas.

NICHOLLS — All services for Arlen Nicholls, who died Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, will be held privately through SPENCER D. GEIBEL FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, 140 New Castle Road, Butler.

Please offer condolences at www.spencerdgeibel.com.

Please sign the guest book at www.butlereagle.com.