Mike Nolan — a La Center city councilman, Sheriff’s Office commander, husband and father of four — lost his brief fight against brain cancer Wednesday morning.
He was 49 years old.
In late May, Nolan was diagnosed with an extremely fast-growing form of brain cancer. On Wednesday morning, Nolan took a turn for the worse and was transported by ambulance to the Ray Hickey Hospice House in Vancouver, Nolan’s former wife, Candise Nolan-Fine, said in a message on Facebook. He died at 11:30 a.m.
Nolan graduated from Evergreen High School in 1978 and moved to La Center in 2002. He leaves behind his wife of 14 years, Erin, and four children — his adult daughter, Kirsten, 17-year-old Trenton, 13-year-old Sean and 9-year-old Grace. La Center Mayor Jim Irish said Nolan was a family-oriented man who put his children and wife first.
“He was a good person,” Irish said. “Anybody can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad, and he was a special person to a lot of people. That was very easily shown by the outpouring of love and support.”
Nolan was elected to the La Center City Council in the fall of 2007. He began working at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office in 1982, most recently serving as special operations commander. Earlier this year, he was appointed to the Clark County Fire and Rescue board of commissioners.
Nolan was also involved in scores of community events, oftentimes volunteering with organizations in which his children participated. He was involved with the La Center Little League for eight years, serving as the board’s vice president for the last two years. He also coached his sons’ baseball teams, volunteered with the Boy Scouts and participated in Junior Miss Teen La Center activities with his daughter.
Last week, the La Center City Council decided to rename the La Center Little League baseball fields in Nolan’s honor. The council will vote at its meeting July 14th to name the fields, which are located in La Center City Park, the Michael J. Nolan Fields.
Nolan was instrumental in securing funding to build a new score tower at the fields and make other improvements. He served as a link between the league and the city and spent countless hours volunteering at the fields, said Jacqui VanSoest, league president.
“No matter what needed to be done, whether it was cleaning toilets, emptying trash, flipping burgers, Mike was right in the middle of everything,” VanSoest said. “There was nothing he wouldn’t do for the Little League.”
Two weeks ago, a group of Nolan’s friends and co-workers held a fundraiser at the Sleep Country Amphitheater in Ridgefield. The group hoped to raise $10,000 to help pay for medical expenses not covered by health insurance. Organizer Kim Beltran said the group “far exceeded our goal,” but did not disclose how much was raised. They collected more than $10,000 in cash, plus received donations of food and services.
Irish said Nolan touched many people in the community, all of whom are feeling the loss.
“We only grieve because of our loss,” Irish said. “He’s in a much happier place and free of pain. We’ll look up and see the sun still rises, and we’ll be happy because we know he is happy. Maybe not right away, but we’ll be happy.”
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
