Nolan Amen Wiley, 85

Nolan peacefully passed away in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 6, 2026, in Hayden with family by his side.

He was born Aug. 20, 1940, in Denver, Colo., to Nolan V. Wiley and Selma Amen Wiley. Nolan graduated from South High School in Denver in 1957. Although he lived in Denver during the school year, he spent much of his time on the Amen family ranch near Johnstown, Colo. It was there that he developed close relationships with his cousins and a love for horses.

Following high school, he went to Western State College in Gunnison, Colo. He served in the U.S. Army as a helicopter crewman and was stationed in Fort Ord, Calif.

He started his airline career with Continental Airlines as a junior mechanic in Denver, was transferred to Los Angeles as a mechanic, and earned an A&P license during this time. He met Gloria Thornton at Continental Airlines, and they were married in Portuguese Bend, Calif., on Oct. 17, 1964.

After 18 years at Continental Airlines, he left to pursue a career in start-up airlines. He was on the start-up team of seven airlines: Horizon Airlines, America West Airlines, Western Pacific Airlines and National Airlines. He was recruited by Empire Airlines in 1990 to help them obtain certification for jet operations. Once this was accomplished, Nolan and a partner started Eagle Aviation Consulting, in which they worked as consultants for aircraft leasing companies and, on occasion, had to repossess airliners. Starting an airline required many moves, but once we moved to Hayden, it became our permanent home, and Nolan maintained a close association with Empire Airlines through the years.

He served on the Coeur d’Alene Airport Advisory Board for 20 years and was an active member of Lake City Church, where he served as an usher for many years.

Nolan and Gloria enjoyed traveling both internationally and domestically. Many trips were made in motorhomes, and they enjoyed visiting every state in the Union. After retirement, they traveled with the Panhandle/Northwest Gems RV Club throughout the Northwest.

Nolan had many interests: horseback riding, ATV riding, boating, motorcycle riding, model railroading, reading and exploring history, and working with his tractor on his property on the Rimrock. His last aviation project was helping in the restoration of Miss Montana, a DC-3 aircraft that was a part of the 75th D-Day reenactment in Normandy, France. While he was well enough, he enjoyed visiting with friends at Starbucks and the Blue Plate, Prayer Meetings on Monday morning with his motorcycle friends, Tuesday morning Bible Study with the “Wise Guys,” Tuesday evening with a Bible Study Home Group, and Saturday morning breakfast group. He also spent time encouraging young people who were interested in pursuing an aviation career. He valued his friends, old and new, near and far.

He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant sister, Katie; and several close cousins. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Gloria; his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Denise and Joe Archambault of Coeur d’Alene; sister-in-law Beverly Aldrige of California; sister-in-law Karen Blocher of Pennsylvania; nieces: Jennifer Decker (Robert) of Coeur d’Alene, Kelli Tew (Grant) of California, Staci Millward (Joe) of Pennsylvania, and Traci Aldrige of Arizona; nephews: Matthew Archambault (Toni) of Kansas and Justin Aldridge of California. In addition, several grand nieces and nephews and his constant companion, Lilly, his loyal German shepherd.

A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, May 22, 2026, at Lake City Church, 6000 N. Ramsey Road, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815, with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Mission Aviation Fellowship (www.maf.org), P.O. Box 47, Nampa, ID 83653.

A big thank you to Hospice of North Idaho for their care and to friends and family for their support during this time.

A private interment was held at Rimrock Cemetery.

Yates Funeral Home is entrusted with the final arrangements. Please visit Nolan’s online guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.