Obituary: Nicole Killian, 1994-2023 

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• Courtesy
• Nicole Killian

Nicole Michele Killian was born November 25, 1994, in Burlington, Vt., to parents Michael and Eveline Killian. The family grew to include Erik and Elise.

Nicole was a high-energy child and a driven and accomplished woman. She graduated from Mt. Mansfield High School in 2012 — a year early — where she excelled in academics, music and sports. Nicole then attended the University of Vermont, where she received her bachelor's of science in nursing in 2016 and, later, her doctorate in nursing as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) from New York University in May 2022, with specializations in acute care and palliative care.

Nicole worked tirelessly while living in and between Brooklyn and Richmond, Vt. Nicole was an RN at Dartmouth, N.H., an ER nurse at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, an ER NP at the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh, N.Y., an ER nurse at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan and a Concierge Urgent Care/Emergency Advanced Care Provider at Sollis Health in Manhattan. She remained actively working throughout the COVID pandemic to serve communities in need as an essential worker.

Nicole also volunteered in her “spare time” and worked for many years as an advanced EMT at Richmond Rescue, including serving as vice president, then president, of the organization. She performed as a nurse in Tanzania and Guatemala and for UVM Medical Center as a member of the emergency response team for SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner). During her career, she touched many hearts and many lives, while making tough decisions and forming impactful relationships.

Nicole pursued her personal life with the same energy and zest as her professional life. Her list of interests included backcountry skiing, mountain climbing, rock climbing, mountain biking and endurance running. Her truest passion was travel with friends and family. Nicole’s adventures spanned the globe, from hiking a volcano in Guatemala to biking the length of the Netherlands to section-hiking the Long Trail and horseback riding in Nicaragua and climbing through ice caves in Iceland. She ran in marathons in Vermont and New York City and in adventure runs in Montana with her siblings. Her constant adventures capture her spirit and essence as a woman who could do anything anywhere. Nicole left us on July 10, 2023, while doing what she loved to do most — a technically challenging hike in British Columbia on Black Tusk, a mountain near Whistler. She was 28.

She approached her work and relationships with a compassionate and sensitive heart. She was independent, generous, charismatic, openhearted, fearless and a good listener. She lived in rarified air and was patient with the mere mortals who surrounded her in daily life.

She is survived by her parents, Michael Killian and Eveline Habermann; siblings, Erik and Elise; and trusty canine companion, Moose.

Come help us celebrate Nicole at the Timberline Lodge at Bolton Valley Ski Resort on August 6, anytime between 2-6 p.m. Guests are encouraged to wear hiking boots in honor of Nicole. In lieu of flowers, consider a remembrance by donation to the Whistler Search and Rescue Society (whistlersar.com/donate/) who bravely assisted.