Nicole Marie Nada
September 4, 1970 - January 22, 2022

Nicole Marie Nada was loved by all. Generosity, kindness, humor and compassion were just a few of the characteristics that made her the kind of person that everyone loved to be around. She was a sage with advice, and an exceptionally great friend to many.

Always an adventurer, Nicole was blessed to explore Hawaii, the glaciers of Alaska in a kayak, Baja California, Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and Holland, as well as innumerable epic backpacking adventures, river rafting trips, grand bike and car trips throughout the US, including summer vacations with family in the East Coast. Equally, she cherished adventures to Humboldt’s Dry Lagoon, beach days at Moonstone and hikes to Strawberry Rock or Arcata Marsh. With stage IV cancer, 4 months before her death, Nicole rafted down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon for 16 days and then took her children on an incredible fun-filled journey through California.

Over the years, Nicole climbed mountain peaks with her friends, the Mountain Mammas, read hundreds of books with her dedicated book club, was part of a women’s business circle and a knitting group. Nicole adored all animals, sharing her home and yard with rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, chickens and bees over the years. She was continuously attending to her spiritual growth, gleaning wisdom from many teachers of various traditions, always looking for inspiration to be the best person she could be. She cherished, above all else, being a mother to Taylor and Asher, who are testaments to the conscious and loving mother that she was.

Nicole was born in Los Angeles, and moved to Marin where she lived most of her childhood, roaming in the Marin hills, with a particular fondness for the Yolanda Trail in the Mount Tam watershed. As a young adult, Nicole was a river guide and cross country ski guide for Environmental Traveling Companions. She worked as an environmental educator at Point Bonita YMCA. Moving to Humboldt for college, she studied plant biology at College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State. In her early days in Humboldt County, she was a well known friendly face at the Arcata Co-op and Northtown Books, working later as a plant biologist for Simpson Lumber and then as a planner for Redwood Community Action Agency where, among other tasks, she created and implemented plans for the North Coast Stormwater Coalition. Nicole was co-founder and co-owner of the Arcata Scoop, and specifically loved designing the interior with unique and beautiful handcrafted furniture and art. She studied and received a nutritionist certificate from Bauman College and became passionate about assisting people to improve their health through her business, Shifting Gears Nutrition. Most recently, she worked for Salmonid Restoration Federation at their annual conference and Six Rivers Montessori. Nicole was recently inspired to get her certificate as a life coach in order to incorporate these skills into her business when she was diagnosed with a second bout of cancer.

Nicole shared her time and resources generously, getting involved with as many community events as possible and caring for community members every chance she got. One inspirational endeavor was her bike ride from Arcata to Marin for her first chemo treatment in 2011, where she raised money for cancer research and blogged about her experience, inspiring and educating many along the way. Her last great teaching before she passed was how to die; Many lives have been transformed through the experience of Nicole’s preparation for, and thoughts about her death, which she considered a rebirth.

Nicole will be remembered for so many of her gifts, including her humor and her great stories. Amazing things always happened to Nicole, and she had just the right way to have you in stitches when she told you about it. She is survived by her two beloved children, Taylor and Asher, their father Garret Nada, numerous family members and a wide community of friends. A small burial service was held at the Trinidad Cemetery and a grand celebration of her life will be planned and held in Humboldt County in the near future. Updates can be found by searching Nicole Nada at Caringbridge.com.

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