Former Baytown Township board member dies of injuries in e-bike crash

Nick Ferraro, Pioneer Press
·4 min read

Brian Nichols was known as being somewhat frugal, a voice of common sense around Baytown Township, where he lived for nearly six decades and spent more than half of those years serving on the town board of supervisors.

Case in point: Nichols and farmer Bill Nelsen, who was also on the township board, used to take pride in being a two-man pothole patrol in Baytown. They’d drive around in Nichols’ pickup truck with bags of asphalt and shovels and fill potholes, saving taxpayers money by not hiring a road contractor.

“Someone once called and said, ‘I’ve been hitting that pothole for two years,'” Nichols told the Pioneer Press in a 2006 interview. “I said, ‘I know just where it is. I’ve been missing it for two years.'”

Nichols died Wednesday of injuries he suffered after he was hit by a car Sunday while riding his e-bike about a mile and half from his Baytown home. He was 85.

The crash occurred in front of the Washington County Fairgrounds. Sheriff’s deputies who were called to the scene about 10:45 a.m. found Nichols semi-conscious, said Laura Perkins, a spokeswoman with the Washington County sheriff’s office. He was wearing a helmet.

Preliminary reports indicate the driver of a Hyundai Genesis GV80 SUV and Nichols were traveling in the same direction on 40th Street North, near McFair Avenue North. Nichols turned his Pedego e-bike in front of the motorist, who said he was unable to stop, Perkins said.

The motorist — a 64-year-old Baytown man — remained on scene and cooperated with deputies, Perkins said.

Nichols, whose injuries included internal bleeding in the head and chest and broken ribs, died at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

37 years on township board

Nichols grew up in North St. Paul, but had lived in Baytown since 1967 in a house he designed and built.

He taught English and social studies at Mounds Park Junior High in St. Paul for 18 years. He then owned several businesses, including the Davian Spa and Health Club in Stillwater. He later worked as a part-time carpenter.

All the while, he was on the board of supervisors for Baytown, a community south of Stillwater with a population of just under 2,000 residents. He retired in March 2006 after 37 years on the board.

He said at the time that the township must be open to change.

“All this used to be farms, but you’ve got to make room for people coming in. People have to have a place to live,” he told the newspaper. “Human beings adjust. After it’s been there for two weeks, you don’t even notice it. It’s still a great place to live, but if the changes come and they bother your lifestyle, you move. That’s the way it’s always been and will always be.”

Kent Grandlienard first met Nichols in 1985 when he went to the town board with plans to build his house. Nichols would later convince Grandlienard to serve on the board.

“They were always looking for younger people to get involved,” Grandlienard recalled Friday.

Grandlienard gave in, serving as a board supervisor from 2000 to 2020. He considered Nichols a mentor.

“He had so much common sense,” he said. “I just always enjoyed learning from him and talking to him. He was not afraid to tell people the truth. They didn’t always like his answers when he was on the town board, but it was like, ‘Hey, that’s the ordinance or the rule.’ He was just a tremendous asset to the township.”

Loved his e-bike

More recently, Grandlienard would see Nichols driving his e-bike. They’d always stop and chat.

“He was 85, and still riding around all the time in the township,” he said. “And he’d go to Menards and run errands, even though he lived like three miles from Menards. The guy was amazing, so interesting. We used to have breakfast together, and I would be like, ‘If I could only be that active at that age.’”

Nichols’ wife, Helen, said he bought an e-bike online a few years ago.

“He loved it, and would go all around on it every day, unless it was raining,” she said.

This Father’s Day, his children chipped in to buy him a new one.

“It was a surprise,” his wife said. “He had a big smile on his face.”

In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children, Dean, Joel, Karina and Jeremy; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A celebration of Nichols’ life will be held 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 7 at Bayport Public Library.

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