Nicholas Thomas Rarig

April 27, 1952 - March 28, 2022

Nicholas Thomas Rarig April 27, 1952 – March 28, 2022

“Two Voices are there; one is of the Sea,

One of the Mountains; each a mighty Voice;” William Wordsworth These mighty voices called Nick Rarig from a very young age. He was most at home in the mountains and on the sea. He once said that the ocean waves washed him, cleansed him and that the freshness of the waters enlivened him, awakened him. Even as he was internalizing his diagnosis, Nick wrote under a photograph of snowflowers, “Miracle of the mountains, from this place nothing else matters.” (06/15/2021) Nick Rarig died at home on March 28, at the age of 69, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was a kind and gentle soul; thoughtful, deeply protective, and fiercely loyal to family and friends. Nick was a man’s man; reliable, compassionate, strong, and fearless. His integrity and sincerity were his guiding principles. He valued fairness. He was a hardworking family man; devoted and loving. With a romantic side, Nick was a poet and artist and understood life clearly and honestly. His generosity of spirit will endure.

Nick was born on April 27, 1952, in Oakland, California. While he grew up in Lafayette, his childhood was centered at The Cabin on the Truckee River near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Life at the cabin fed his soul. Every summer found Nick swimming the Truckee, fishing, hiking, and backpacking in Desolation Wilderness or the Rubicon. One summer, he even waterskied every day from Tahoe City to Homewood for work.

Nick was a true athlete from an early age. He excelled in sports like football, track and wrestling at Acalanes High School. After graduation, he attended UC Santa Barbara on a full track (decathlon) scholarship but soon found a new love, surfing. Surfing, and the ocean, became Nick’s second place of serenity. He fed this newfound passion through surfing trips with his brother Chris and friends, to New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, the north of France and to Hawai’i.

In 1975, Nick moved to Cayucos with his brothers, John, Steve, and Chris, to start Rarig Construction, Inc. in the Central Coast. Nick would become the building site steel erector (iron worker and Vice-President) often working 10–12hour days and constructing hundreds of buildings in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. For over 45 years, Nick was loved and respected by all the crew, office staff, and business clients. He helped grow the business into the largest steel construction company on the Central Coast. While he strove for excellence and was very accomplished, Nick maintained a humble and unassuming bearing.

Life on the Central Coast was good for Nick. He saw his brothers and sister often if not daily. Hot tubs at the Boathouse, fishing trips out in Estero Bay, paddleboarding, windsurfing and surfing were a sweet distraction from the demands of work. A Rarig tradition, the art of the barbecue, - where all and any are welcome – Chris and Nick freely shared and passed to their sons. Over the coals, whether Rarig beef, catch of the day or fresh oysters, Nick found solace in the big and little of where he found himself.

In recent years, he has been back at his much-loved cabin, rediscovering the magic of the mountains with his son Coel always by his side, his constant companion. Nick had a profound bond with his wife and sons. He shared his soul with them: his love of life and nature, his love for the ocean and all her creatures, his love of the mountains, the Truckee, and the simple life he enjoyed there. Nick never missed an opportunity to say how proud of the thoughtful men his sons were becoming. Family was everything. Tami, Coel and Keelan were foremost in his attention. His beloved siblings, Steve, Chris and Nancy, and his extended family including many longtime comrades, Bruce, John, Al, Martin, Gary, Steve, and Vince, were paramount in his heart.

Nick is preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Ginny, and his brother, John. Nick is survived by his wife of twenty-eight years, Tami, sons, Coel and Keelan, brothers, Steve (Dawn) and Chris (Patti), sister, Nancy, sisters-in-law Lauren (Craig), and Maralee (Henry), as well as many uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Nick leaves behind a larger-than-life legacy. He will be missed, but his spirit will remain strong in the hearts and memories of all who knew and loved him. “One day men will come, Some will dream as I have done.

They will dance among the stars,

They will laugh with life And sing of love.

I will send to them happy tears

Full of sweet memories which live on and on.” Nick Rarig circa 1975 In lieu of flowers, please send donations to:

The ALS Association Golden West Chapter 5950 Canoga Ave Suite 110, Woodland Hills, CA 91367