Nickolas J. Conklin was born in Ithaca to Jonathan Conklin and Karen Prötzel on the fall morning of October 8th, 1993. Nick left this world for another on October 12th, 2022, and is lived on by his Papa and Mami, his brother Fabian, and sister Alicia a.k.a. Chacha, by his beloved Mamamama Yolanda, his Peruvian family, and a host of family and friends from all around the world.

Nickolas was a graduate from Ithaca High School where he participated in wrestling and cross-country running. He remained an avid runner with an adventurous spirit and found joy and accomplishment in exploring many of our surrounding trails. He was athletically disciplined, intelligent, and gave anything that brought him joy the utmost effort because of the sense of achievement it evoked.

Nickolas was a student of life who enjoyed the world through a lens of curiosity and aimed to share his philosophy of peace and love. Nick would often stop to gaze in wonderment at nature, enjoyed good cuisine, and was appreciative of the arts. Everything he did, from preparing a meal to listening to music, he made of it an experience.

Nickolas was a beautiful person, inside and out, and his enduring spirit is inspirational for those of us who love him. As a young man, his inner light battled to shine through the debilitating challenges that a mental illness and substance use disorder pose. Through it all, Nick remained truly appreciative of those who extended help to him, and in turn strived to do the same for others. He was empathetic and had the innate ability to uplift those around him, despite any personal struggle he’d endured. He advocated for those in need of help without judgement, and his humility was the very essence of his being.

It is rare to know someone as forgiving, gentle and warm-hearted as Nickolas. His loving consideration extended to all of life’s creatures, especially cats, and longed for a dog friend to match his childlike innocence and enjoyment of the outdoors. We who met him will forever remember the calming embrace of his hugs, his polite considerate nature, good looks, sense of humor, contagious smile and laugh.

So, Nickolas, for us now, our hope is that the essence of your spirit stays with us forever, to guide us in having patience, kindness and compassion towards others and most importantly for ourselves. Know that we miss you, feel your presence and love, and find memories of you around every corner. We know that where you are now, you’re in awe of the beauty and wonder of it all, and no sadness nor pain can reach you. We find comfort in knowing that you’ve found peaceful resolution and have become reunited with your spirit.

Take care of Furnando, Velvet, and Peanut for us, and give a warm embrace to your Nani, Poppie, and Papapapa Otto. In turn, we’ll stay humble, practice our Spanish, keep it silly, and dance freely to any song that comes on.

We love you forever.

Family will welcome those who would like to pay their respects on Thursday, October 20th, 2022 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm at Bangs Funeral Home, 209 W. Green St. 

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