Nicole Adrienne Nilsson
July 26, 1944 ~ October 23, 2016
Nicole Nilsson passed away at age 72 at Creston Valley Hospital on Sunday, October 23, 2016 after a long battle with cancer, with her family by her bedside.
Nicole is survived by her husband of 46 years, Alex Nilsson; daughter Alexis (Doug) and son Nick (Kelly); six sisters and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her parents and brother.
Nicole trained to become a registered nurse at Cornwall Royal Hospital in Cornwall, Ontario. She completed her degree in public health nursing at the University of Ottawa. Before settling in Creston, Nicole worked as a nurse in Hawaii and Vancouver. In Creston, she worked as a registered nurse in general nursing, extended care, public health, home care and diabetic teaching. She also started the Creston Foot Clinic which operates out of the hospital.
Nicole's early involvement in volunteering consisted of sports organizations involving her children, including figure skating, swimming, soccer and speed skating. She organized regular Bingo fundraisers for skating, swimming and soccer for many years.
Nicole branched out to other organizations, including the Creston Chapter of Nurses, Creston Hospice Society as a board member, Creston Toastmasters Club as a treasurer for many years, TAPS and the Creston Kootenay Foundation. She was instrumental in raising awareness and fundraising for the Creston Kootenay Foundation through annual gala events.
In March 2016, Nicole was awarded the Governor General's Sovereign Medal for volunteers, in recognition of her many years of serving the community.
She also found time to support her husband's many volunteer activities and numerous endurance events, most notably his roller ski trip across Canada raising funds for diabetes prevention and education.
In recent years, she discovered a love of golf and tennis. She also loved spending time in Arizona during the winter.
A Celebration of Life was held Friday, October 28, 2016 in the Creston Room of the Creston and District Community Complex at 2-5pm. Everyone is invited to share their stories and memories of Nicole.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Creston Kootenay Foundation for the Nicole Nilsson Hospital Fund.