"She had an unshakeable vision of God’s love being all-embracing. Nickie was involved in so much justice work in San Antonio, nurtured so many Dignity leaders throughout the decades, and pushed the organization to embrace women, people of color, poor people, families, and all who needed us. She was wise, generous, loving, had a wicked sense of humor, loved music, color, dance, and above all, Deb. Even when incredibly frail, she remained the leader of Dignity/San Antonio. I am honored to have called her a friend.” When Nickie’s death was announced to the Women of Dignity, spontaneous tributes poured in. Lauren Carpenter, immediate past-Vice President of DignityUSA, said, "Before I met Nickie at Dignity in 2008, the only other queer people I knew were my college friends, all in their early 20s. Getting to know Nickie and learning about her lifetime of LGBTQ activism, her engagement with her community and her deep commitment to Deb, was my first a glimpse of what a full life an LGBTQ person could lead, and gave me a vision for my own future.” Former Board member Linda Pieczynski said, “What an example she was of love and dedication to the world and its problems. I am honored to have known her.” Longtime member Maria Gambatese wrote, “To know Nickie was to love her, but also to be in awe. She lived her life as Jesus and Mary would have wanted her to be. She and Deb had a relationship that made us all want to strive to have one like it.” Mary E. Hunt said of Nickie and Deb, “For me, they have long been models of the care and commitment that make a committed relationship so generative of others. When I attended mass in San Antonio it was clear that they were pillars of their chapter, nurturing others and leading with skill and gentleness.” Women of Dignity leader Honour Maddock noted that Nickie was “the Godmother of the group,” the one whose quiet but forceful leadership infused so much of what was done. |
