Nikita Vishnevetsky, died peacefully in his sleep on January 19, 2021 at the age of 85.   A resident of Oak Harbor, he passed away at home with his wife Patricia by his side. It was a blessing in these Covid times that his family and friends were able to say goodbye to him, and to wish him peace and joy on his ultimate journey.

Nikita (Nik, Nikka or Nickie) lived an eventful, well-traveled life. He was born on June 27, 1935, in Kalgan, China, to Russian parents. The family fled the Chinese Revolution of 1949, eventually finding a new home in the Dominican Republic. Nikita immigrated as a young man to the US to study electrical engineering and was drafted upon graduation into the US Army. After completing his military service, he worked for more than two decades as an engineer with Solar Turbines Inc. In this position he traveled the world, beginning with South America, North Africa and later Europe, Russia in particular.

In 1979, while working in Brussels Nikita met Patricia Doyle, an au pair from New Zealand. From Brussels the couple moved to Argentina for a year, and in 1980 they moved to Florida where they lived for the next 19 years, including the decade following Nikita's retirement in 1990. In 2002, they spent the next nine years in Patricia's native homeland of New Zealand. Their final move was back to the US, where they settled in Oak Harbor, WA.

Nikita was a big, gentle giant with an extremely generous personality.  A gracious host, he loved to cook sumptuous meals for family and friends. Everyone was welcome at his table, especially lovers of spicy food! He had a knack with spices and marinades and enjoyed nothing more than greeting his guests, wine glass or a martini in hand, and sharing with them the results of newly created recipes.

Nikita's friends were invariably friends for life. He loved to talk on the phone and was very good about keeping in touch with people he had met from around the world. He spoke English, Russian and Spanish fluently, and could converse in French and Chinese also.

Nikita always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes even as he struggled at the end of his life. He is survived by his wife Patricia, older sister Tatiana, and six nephews and two nieces. Patricia wishes to express her gratitude for all the wonderful support she has received from friends and family.

To share memories of Nikita, please sign the guestbook at www.evanschapel.com

Tribute from George S. McLean – Export Sales Manager of Solar Turbines 1963-1980

Nikita died on January 19, 2021 at age 85. He worked 25 years for Solar as a field engineer and sales engineer retiring in 1990. Among the highlights of his stellar career were his significant contribution to Solar's success in securing contracts for 38 Centaur compressor sets in 1973 and 51 Saturn generator sets in 1976 with the USSR Ministry of Gas Industries (now Gazprom).

In September 1972, as Export Sales Manager, I travelled to Moscow when I learned that the Russians were soliciting bids from Western manufacturers for natural gas compressors in the Centaur horsepower range to be installed on their export gas pipeline system. I was able to meet with Gas Ministry engineers who explained through interpreters that their specifications favored reciprocating engines or heavyweight gas turbines units from long established European and U.S. suppliers but that they would entertain an unsolicited proposal from Solar.

We were given one month to prepare for a meeting at which Solar would have to convince the Russians that the recently developed lightweight Centaur gas turbine and compressor equipment could do the job. As well as being relatively unknown to the gas industry Solar had the political disadvantage of being a U.S. supplier. It was obvious to me that it was essential we have a fluent Russian speaker on the team. I enlisted Nikita who due to his background made him uniquely qualified for the assignment. He was born in 1935 in northern China near Inner Mongolia where his Russian parents had taken residence during the Civil War. In 1949 the family fled the Chinese Revolution to a new home in the Dominican Republic where Nikita lived until he immigrated to the U.S. to study engineering in Los Angeles.

Nikita's presence at the October 1972 meetings in Moscow made an immediate difference for Solar. Nikita easily made friends with the Russian gas pipeline engineers and Machino import negotiators and rapidly gained their trust. We took exceptions to the specs and proposed prepackaged and skidded modular systems complete with Centaur gas turbine-compressors and unit filters, piping and valves. The Russians were immediately intrigued when they realized this concept could save them $ millions in shipping and installation costs. And they were pleased to be dealing with Nikita a knowledgeable engineer who was a fluent speaker of "kitchen" Russian. After several more long sessions during the Moscow winter the Solar equipment gained acceptance thanks to the efforts of the team but especially Nikita. In May the negotiation moved to the Russian trade mission in Paris. After another month of talks and a side trip to visit Saturn compressor set installations at Gaz de France facilities in central France and more negotiation talks in Viillefranche the contract was signed in June in Neuilly, Paris for $27 Million (about $160M today) for 28 Centaur pipeline and 10 high pressure injection compressor sets. That job in competition with all the traditional natural gas compressor competition firmly established Solar Turbines acceptability worldwide.

Nikita had an outstanding 25-year career at Solar in Service and Sales and everyone that knew him will mostly recall his gregarious good nature and genuine friendship. But I will also always remember how Nikita with his uncanny skill in dealing with people, intensely worked with the Russian engineers for many months gaining their trust in underdog Solar which led to the game changing contract for Solar in 1973.

George S. McLean - Solar 1963-1980