- Date Of Birth: May 26, 1943
- Date Of Death: June 25, 2020
- State: Michigan
Soren “Skip” Nissen passed away peacefully on June 25, 2020 surrounded by his family, following a long battle with Multiple Myeloma.
Born on May 26, 1943 to Margaret (Mumford) and Soren Nissen, Skip lived his entire life in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was happily married to wife Paula A. Nissen, with whom he celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past April.
Skip was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving in Army Intelligence from 1965 to 1968. After his time in the service, he received his undergraduate and MBA from Western Michigan University and began a successful, 30-year career with IBM. Towards the end of his time at IBM he became a Certified Financial Planner and ultimately launched an independent financial planning firm, Nissen Financial Services, and a second career helping people plan for retirement. Following retirement in 2011, Skip was active in the community, teaching at Western Michigan’s Haworth College of Business as an adjunct professor, mentoring small business owners through Kalamazoo SCORE, and volunteering at the Cheff Equine Therapeutic Riding Center in Augusta.
Skip was a lifelong athlete and enjoyed running, biking, canoeing, and horseback riding. A devoted dog owner, he could often be found walking his dog on local trails. Summers were spent in the Grand Haven-Spring Lake area, the family’s second home, where he was a member of American Legion Post 28 and a connoisseur of local ice cream shops. Skip was a generous friend, brother, father, grandfather, and husband; quick to listen and offer a cold beer or glass of wine and a bowl of homemade popcorn. He was proud to see both his daughters earn graduate degrees, and he delighted his grandchildren with an uncanny Donald Duck impression and unlimited shoulder rides.
Skip will be sadly missed by those he left behind, including: his wife Paula of Kalamazoo, Michigan; his daughters Jennifer Palmquist of Cincinnati, Ohio and Leigh (Doug) Wolfe of Austin, Texas. He has five grandchildren: Sydney, Brooke, and Cooper Palmquist of Cincinnati Ohio; Greta and Caroline Wolfe of Austin, Texas. Additionally, he is survived by his sister Karen (Nissen) Webster and brother in-law John Webster of Hanford, California.
