Timothy Nolan

Timothy Curran Nolan (Tim) died unexpectedly in his sleep on Tuesday morning, August 25, 2026. 

Tim was born on March 29, 1972, in Waynesboro, VA, but spent the majority of his life in the Northeast Kingdom, where the Nolan family moved in 1974. He grew up in Wheelock and graduated from Miller’s Run School in 1986, before entering Lyndon Institute that same year. While at LI, Tim played football (#88) and basketball and ran track; he was part of the 1989 State Champion 4x100 relay team. He was also Student Council President and a member of the Varsity Club. After graduating, Tim went to work at Northeast Tool in Lyndonville, and followed the company (now Vermont American) to Greenville, NC, where he stayed for two years. In 1995, he returned to the Northeast Kingdom to work for ETSI (later Lydall). Over the next fourteen years, he rose through the ranks at Lydall to become Quality Manager; until leaving the company in 2007 to found Precision Composites of Vermont (PCOVT). Tim ran PCOVT until his death, building it up from the near-bankrupt company that he initially purchased into the hugely successful business that it is today. As Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers posted on Facebook, “Vermont was a better place for Tim Nolan having been in it.”

Tim’s lifelong dream was to own and run his own local business (though as a child his ambition was to become the Wheelock Road Commissioner, after spending many happy hours riding with Jack Smith in the town truck during the summers. In later life, he fulfilled this ambition on Kirby Mountain, where he rebuilt his access road using his own excavator and dump truck). With his sister, Kate (Nolan) Dale, Tim started his first business while still at LI, painting houses in the summers, a tradition still continued by younger brother Dan. But PCOVT was his crowning business achievement. Tim regarded PCOVT as a key example of the business advantages offered by a tight-knit local community like the NEK. When other businesses moved south or overseas, Tim always insisted that the financial savings offered by cheaper locales could not compensate for the loss of longstanding, generational connections among local businesses, local schools, and other local organizations. The successes of PCOVT testify to the accuracy of his vision. For example, his collaboration with Concept2 meant that the oars used by the US rowing team in the Olympic Games came from the PCOVT shop.

Tim was much more than a business owner, however. He was driven by a passion for helping others, in both official and unofficial roles. He joined the Lyndonville Fire Department in 1998 and became one of its most dedicated and longstanding members, eventually taking on the role of Captain. As with everything he did, Tim was determined to learn as much as possible about the history and science of fighting fires, making him an incredibly valuable resource for his colleagues. Because he assisted Lyndon Rescue so often on emergency calls, many in the community saw Tim at moments of personal crisis and loss. He was always a reassuring, calm, and kind presence, no matter what the circumstance—whether he was giving lifesaving CPR, extracting a trapped passenger from a vehicle, or (on one notable occasion), cooking pancakes for a senior citizen during a Sunday morning wellness check. As the LFD tribute states, “Tim had a way of treating people with humanity and dignity, regardless of who they were or what they needed…We will miss the camaraderie, the friendship, the brotherhood, and the sense of pride he brought to what we do together. Tim pushed all of us to be better.”

Tim is survived by his beloved daughter, Colleen C. Nolan (CC), who brought endless joy into his life, whether they were headed to a Daddy-Daughter dance, driving GoKarts up at camp, or even struggling through the newest version of “new math” afflicting graded schoolers. He was predeceased by his father, Jack Nolan, with whom he spent many happy hours troubleshooting at PCOVT. He leaves behind his immediate family: mother Carolyn Nolan, sisters Maura Nolan (Dan Blanton) and Kate Dale (Darren), brothers John Nolan and Dan Nolan; as well as his partner, Beth Hibshman. Tim was the adored uncle of Siobhan Dale, McKenna Dale, Kaleigh Dale, and Hunter Dale. In addition, Tim had hundreds of friends, cousins, and relations, both in the NEK and all over the world, too numerous to name. He never forgot anyone’s name, their face, or their stories. There was room enough in Tim’s heart for everyone.

The funeral will take place at St. John the Evangelist Church in St. Johnsbury at 10 am on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Visiting hours will be at the Guibord-Pearsons Funeral Home at 15 Main St, Lyndonville, from 3:30-6:30 on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. Tim will be buried near his father Jack at St. Mary Cemetery in Northampton, MA, on a date to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations for the Lyndonville Fire Department, Tiger Company, PO Box 126, Lyndonville, VT 05851.

Memories and condolences can be shared with the family at guibordfh.com