Nicholas F. Wilder of Port Washington died Aug. 26, 2023, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. He was 80 years old.

Nick was an incredible raconteur. He entertained and enthralled family and friends with his many stories about his life and experiences.

He made his early life in Colorado Springs (where he was born in 1942) vivid. He told us about his parents Mitchell Armitage Wilder and Elizabeth (Betsy) Forbes Wilder, and his views of many artists he met through them. He had funny stories about living in Colonial Williamsburg and later his teenage years in Cambridge, Mass., where he graduated from Brown and Nichols School.

At Cornell University, he studied architecture and literature, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in 1965. He went on to receive a master of business administration degree from the University of Chicago. He also met his future wife Leila there, and they were married in 1968. Every place he lived added new stories to his repertoire.

After graduation, Nick joined Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City. He was in banking for many years, but his life out-side of his work was far more important to him. He loved having a close-knit family and doing things with and for them.

Through his work at Chase, he was able to take them to wonderful places to live. Shortly after he started working for Chase, Nick and Leila bought an old brownstone in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. Nick enjoyed renovating the house, doing much of the work himself.

He was very active in local organizations, often working as the treasurer.

When he was made a foreign exchange officer in Europe, Nick, Leila and their children Colin and Paige found an exciting life first in Bad Homburg (Frankfurt), Germany, and then in Dublin, Ireland. Those years in Ireland were idyllic, and Nick often talked later about retiring to Ireland.

He took the family on many unforgettable trips around Germany, England, Scotland, Italy and Ireland.

When Nick was chosen to head up Chase's foreign exchange office in Chicago, the family moved to Lake Forest, Ill. The next stop was Garden City, N.Y., where they spent treasured years surrounded by many cousins living in the area.

Leaving banking behind in 1988, the family bought a fly fishing business in New Hampshire and spent many years in a pas-time Nick loved. He travelled to Russia, Argentina, Chile and other destinations to fly fish. He also designed and had built a house of his dreams in Francestown, N.H., where the family would live for nearly 30 years.

In Francestown, Nick was active in local government, serving several years on the budget committee. After he sold the fly fishing business and retired, he became the town treasurer, a position in which he served until he moved to Port Washington in 2018.

Throughout his life, Nick was an avid reader, sometimes devouring a book a day. Another favorite pastime was woodworking. He spent hours in his workshop planning and executing woodworking projects. He liked working on projects outdoors, cutting trees in the woods in Francestown or just walking down the country roads with his Labradors to visit neighbors.

He is survived by his wife Leila, his son Colin (Christina Andrews) Wilder of Columbia, S.C., his daughter Paige (Markus Schumann) Wilder of Port Washington and his grandchildren Grace Wilder and Daniel Wilder.

He is further survived by his sister Jenny (Stan Fisher) Wilder of Newton, Mass., and nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his father Mitch and his mother Betsy.

A memorial service is planned for Saturday, Oct. 7, at St. Simon the Fisherman Episcopal Church in Port Washington, Wis. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. with the service at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Alzheimer's Association.

Eernisse Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Online condolences may be left at www.eernissefuneralhome.com.