Alan Duane Van Nice

Alan “Al” Duane Van Nice, 85, of Fort Collins, Colorado, passed into Eternal Life on Sunday, July 28, 2019, surrounded by his loving family and caring staff at the Lemay Avenue Health and Rehab Center in Fort Collins, Colorado. Funeral Services will be held at 2pm on Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at Clearwater Church in Fort Collins Colorado, followed by a light meal. Family will be present to receive friends and condolences starting at 1pm. Burial will follow at 2pm Saturday, August 3, 2019 at the Earlham Cemetery located in Earlham, Iowa. Memorials may be made to the Fort Collins Senior Center and/or Clearwater Church of Fort Collins, Colorado. Al was born in Sebetha, Kansas, in 1934 where his father was a school teacher and public speaker for the Dale Carnegie organization. He graduated High School from Topeka High in 1952 and Kansas State University in 1956 with a BS in Business Administration. Upon graduation he accepted employment with Mobil Oil Corporation in Des Moines Iowa. After a few months with Mobil he was drafted into the United States Army as a 2nd Lieutenant in field Artillery and deployed to eastern Europe. After completion of his deployment and honorable discharge he returned to his employment at Mobil Oil Corporation in Des Moines, Iowa. In the fall of 1958, Al met Chloris Ann, or “Annie” as he lovingly called her, where she was attending Drake University in Des Moines. They met at a college social over a spaghetti dinner, fell in love and were married in June of 1961. Annie loved his constant devotion, optimistic outlook on life and the many adventures, projects and business ventures they tackled side by side, including 35 years of running a Shaklee Nutritional business together. His son, Doug, remembers the many hours they spent riding moto-cross together, creating contraptions like a homemade travel trailer and a twin bed with a desk underneath it before they were a thing you could find at IKEA. His daughter Jennifer enjoyed the many hours he devoted to being a “horse show dad” who duties spanned from hooking up unruly horse trailers to consoling tears when the horse didn’t cooperate. He was always happy to saddle up and go for a ride with his horse-loving wife and daughter even though horses weren’t really “his thing”. Alan worked at Mobil Oil Corporation for 38 years, allowing his family the opportunity to live in many locations throughout the United States. He retired in 1993 in Texas and moved to Colorado in 2005. He enjoyed many hobbies including sailing, bike riding, hiking, traveling with Chloris Ann, music venues, spending time with friends, singing in the choir at their local church, visiting extended family, and more recently, delighting in all the love and attention his three granddaughters showered upon him. Al was a longtime supporter of the Fort Collins Senior Center and from 2007 until very recently, he led the “Donut Make You Wonder” discussion coffee group every Friday. Al was also a founding supporter of Mountain Life Church in Fort Collins in 2005. Alan’s most recent passions were taking care of his family and being an endless source of joy, encouragement and wise advice for all who knew him. Alan is survived by his wife, Chloris Ann Van Nice of Fort Collins; two children, Doug (Dawn) Van Nice of River Oaks Texas, Jennifer (Jared) Clinkscales of Fort Collins; 3 grandchildren, Kiera Clinkscales, Zoey Clinkscales and Jasmine Clinkscales; a brother-in-law Gailen Keeling of Grass Valley CA, Sister-in-law Dottie Hanger of Topeka KS, nieces and nephews, extended family and friends. Alan was preceded in death by his mother Pearl Van Nice (1936) father Charles Van Nice (1984), his step mother Adelaide Van Nice (1993), three sisters, and two brothers.