Frank Al Nicolai - Obituary

rank Nicolai’s 3-year battle with cancer ended on July 6th at home with loved ones. He is survived by his wife Shirley (Snow) Nicolai, son Keith Nicolai (Sara), and daughter Karen Baldwin (Ed). He also leaves behind 5 cherished grandchildren: Kevin Nicolai, Heather Nicolai, Haley Baldwin, John Baldwin, and William Nicolai. His sister Elaine Armen resides in Fairfield, CA. Sisters Charlotte Susan Dearien and Dorothy Nicolai predeceased him. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Frank was an avid stickball and baseball player and a diehard Brooklyn Dodgers fan. As a child, he summered at his family’s small farm in Greenlawn, where he learned how to grow vegetables. He attended Garden City’s St. Paul’s School before heading off to Bowdoin College, where he participated in Army ROTC; played baseball, soccer and basketball; and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in mathematics. Soon after, he and Shirley were married and moved to Ithaca, where Frank was the recipient of a full fellowship at Cornell University and earned a master’s degree in Public Administration. With a military commitment to fulfill, Frank worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon as both a civilian and Army officer. In 1970, he became one of five founders of American Management Systems, Inc. He worked there as CFO and head of Human Resources until his retirement. Serving on non-profit boards, growing vegetables and flowers from seed under lights, reading serious nonfiction books, planning international family trips, and following professional baseball have been post retirement activities. Frank’s requests for cremation and a celebration of life event at a later, yet to be determined, date are being honored. In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to remember Frank in a special way may donate to the Alice Ferguson Foundation (provides environmental education on the Potomac) at fergusonfoundation.org or Paralyzed Veterans of America at pva.org.