Nicholas Richard Nance, who died Feb. 6 at age 61, spent his career with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an investigator whose work set the standard for medical-device audits. He also was one of the agents who investigated the infamous 1982 Tylenol poisoning case.
Born in Puerto Rico, he was adopted at age 4 by Peggy Nance, an American servicewoman who taught English at the University of Puerto Rico. She taught him a reverence for research, benevolence and persistence.
After attending Earlham College in Indiana, he graduated with a degree in biology from InterAmerican University in Puerto Rico. Then he enlisted in the Army and served as a first lieutenant during the Vietnam War.
After his military service, he returned to Puerto Rico and took a job as a government social worker in the slums there.
A few years later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recruited Nance to work as an investigator specializing in the new field of inspecting dialysis machines, pacemakers and other medical devices.
The job frequently meant 14-hour days that ended after a long evening poring over the fine print in exhaustive technical manuals.
“My dad would come home with armloads of documentation,” said son Damon Nance. “For example, when he was dealing with pacemakers, he had to read all the documentation, everything he could on exactly how a pacemaker is supposed to function, and how every aspect of it is supposed to work, along with the specs for the individual parts.”
In 1982, Nance joined the FDA investigation into the deaths of Chicago-area residents who took cyanide-tainted Extra Strength Tylenol capsules. The accompanying widespread media attention included a Time magazine cover photo featuring FDA agents, including Nance, as they removed the product from store shelves. The case remains unsolved.
Throughout his 34 years with the FDA, he inspected more than 350 medical-device manufacturers. As he approached retirement, Nance began training other inspectors how to assess medical devices and ensure that companies complied with regulatory guidelines.
“He felt he was the last line before products were brought out for the consumer,” his son said. “He had no qualms with shutting someone down if the company was not following guidelines. Companies knew he was one of the FDA’s toughest auditors.”
When Nance retired from the FDA, the manufacturers he spent a lifetime inspecting immediately began recruiting him as a consultant. Shortly before his death, Nance accepted a job with Reglera, a consulting and service firm that specializes in medical devices and human cellular tissue.
Survivors include his wife, Pat, of Brighton; sons Dax Nance of Brighton and Damon Nance of Denver; and a granddaughter.
Staff writer Claire Martin can be reached at 303-820-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com.
