Gerard Nicholas "Nick" Pool's Obituary
Gerard Nicholas “Nick” Pool, born June 21, 1934 Lincoln Park, NJ, passed away on November 23, 2010 in Muskegon. Nick, a 1956 graduate of Hope College, worked for Gordon Laughead Piano Co. in Grand Haven for a few years before going to Germany, where he earned a Klavierbaumeister (master piano builder) certificate in 1961. He returned to the United States and worked as a prolific musician and freelance keyboard technician throughout the region until his retirement in 2007. A dedicated steward of the arts in West Michigan, Nick supported numerous organizations including the West Shore Graphic Arts Society and was actively involved with the Community Concert Board and the Muskegon Museum of Art, among many others. Nick’s interests also included collecting antiques, from toys and toasters to a number of Edison phonographs and disc music boxes. Nick also was an active member of the Chicago Oriental Rug and Textile Society, a group that treasured his encyclopedic knowledge of oriental rugs. He also belonged to the Piano Technicians Guild, which he served in various capacities through the years. Nick could play practically any tune by ear and though he may have forgotten the name of a former customer, he never forgot the make and model of their piano and what its malady had been. He was very interested in politics and never shied away from expressing his opinion on current events. He is predeceased by his parents, the Rev. Gerard C. Pool and Elsa Lillian Schmid Pool and a daughter, Katrina Pool. He is survived by his former wife, Ellen, and children Andrew (Kathleen), Sarah, and Ann Olson (Tom) as well as four grandchildren and brother Tom Pool (Nadine) of Evanston, IL. A MEMORIAL SERVICE will be held 11:00 AM Saturday, November 27, 2010 and VISITATION will take place 2-4 and 7-9 PM Friday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (1006 Third St., Muskegon). In lieu of flowers, memorials in Nick’s name can be made to WBLV - Blue Lake Public Radio or to the Muskegon Community Foundation Nick Pool Performance Arts Fund.
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