Nic Bonotto

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Nic Bonotto. He died in his sleep (due to complications from ALS) at the age of 44 at his home in Los Gatos, CA on January 7, 2023.

Nic was born in Salinas, CA, and lived in the small farming town of Gonzales until his family moved to Napa, CA when he was 8. He loved being surrounded by farmlands and nature, which stayed with him throughout his life. He spent his childhood playing sports, and especially loved spending time skiing in Tahoe and Bear Valley with his family and friends.

After moving to Napa, he met his best friend, Paul Hartman, and the rest of the Napa boys. They got into plenty of mischief of the good kind, which continued throughout his life. Nic participated in track and field, where he held national records in throwing the javelin. He also took up snowboarding and loved the feeling of floating across the snow. In middle school, he went on a fateful trip to Catalina Island for marine science camp, where he met his longtime pen pal and future wife, Suzie (Nishikawa) Bonotto.

Nic attended Napa High School, where he was a student leader and honors student. Nic loved to sing and was a member of the Napa High School Men's Choir. His love of music took him to Australia and New Zealand with the choir, and he regularly attended concerts all over the Bay Area, often seeing Ben Harper shows with the Napa crew. Nic's favorite band was Pearl Jam. His senior year, he took a ceramics class and instantly fell in love with it, which planted a seed that would change his life.

Nic was a vibrant student of the world. There wasn't a mountain, wave or adventure he didn't delight in experiencing. UC Santa Cruz was the perfect place to give him all those experiences and so much more. Nic attended Merrill College, along with Paul. There, he met his other best friends, Silver (Fahey) Hartman and Ryan Saca. Nic worked summers with the grounds crew at UCSC and for a vineyard management and consulting company in the Santa Cruz Mountains alongside his friends. His love of political science and education took him to Washington DC to work for the Department of Education for a semester. He had many adventures while living with his friends at the Laurel Street house and exploring Santa Cruz, local camping spots, the Grand Canyon, and Joshua Tree. Nic was an independent spirit, and even took a solo trip to Europe to explore.

After getting his undergrad degree in political science, Nic worked for an educational non-profit. Nic and Suzie started dating, and he moved to San Diego for a few years. Nic and Suzie adopted their rescue pup, Luna, and enjoyed spending weekends at Ocean Beach, playing frisbee golf at Morley Field and dominos in their backyard, and taking in all that San Diego had to offer.

A few years later, Nic decided to follow in his beloved mother's footsteps and become a teacher. He got his Masters degree in Education from University of San Francisco and began his career in education as a teacher of government and economics at Gilroy High School. He met wonderful coworkers and lifelong friends, including Mirra Schernock. They shared their love of music, especially hip-hop, and trivia on their long commutes from San Jose to Gilroy. Nic had a knack for remembering song lyrics and artists, and was an encyclopedia of random trivia.

Nic proposed to Suzie in one of their favorite places, Lake Tahoe, and they were married in 2005 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which would later become their home. They built a life full of love, adventures and art, surrounded by many wonderful friends.

Nic had continued his hobby of ceramics and joined the studio at Blossom Hill Crafts in Los Gatos, CA. He cultivated his pottery skills and made many close friends, including Matt and Isabel Hoogland. Ultimately, he decided to combine his passion for education and art to make a living out of what he loved doing. He got his art credential, and was then hired to teach art at Wilcox High School in Santa Clara, where he built a well renowned ceramics studio and program. He loved teaching students how to embrace the imperfection and beauty of ceramics. Nic worked with many dedicated educators at Wilcox and made many good friends during his time teaching there, including Heather Morton, the Peoples, Haughney, Hardesty, and Kermode families.

Nic was a devoted, tender and loving dad to his three children, Mason, Evie and Ellie. Being a parent brought him joy, and he was always there for his kids. He loved spending time with them doing activities they enjoyed or just 'nuggling. He taught them how to make art, surf, paddle board and ski, and loved taking them on outdoor adventures. He showed them how to pick grapes and make wine. He shared his love of Bay Area sports, rooting for the 49ers, Giants and Warriors. He taught them the importance of kindness and generosity, and cultivated their curiosity, sense of adventure and individuality.

In late 2019, Nic was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of voluntary muscle control that affects the ability to eat, speak, move, and finally the ability to breathe. Currently, there is no cure. Nic was determined (aka stubborn) and would not let ALS get the best of him. He made the most of what he could do even as his condition progressed-he adapted and remained active. He continued to teach for as long as he could because he wanted to provide a creative outlet for his students during COVID lockdown.

With the support of incredible friends from the Bay Area, Tahoe, Napa and beyond, his parents, and brother Vince and his family, he went on camping adventures in Tahoe and Santa Barbara, on e-bike adventures to Yosemite and Monterey, made regular trips to the beach and community pool, vacationed in Hawaii, and enjoyed Tahoe for skiing, boating and camping. Nic never missed out on an opportunity to attend sporting events to root on the 49ers and Giants, go to Pearl Jam concerts and Bottle Rock, make wine and cider, go houseboating at Shasta, explore Bend, Oregon, raise money for ALS awareness and research with Team Bring da Ruckus, watch all of his kids' sporting events and activities, or spend quality time with his friends and family.

Nic loved all of nature. He grew up surrounded by the beauty of farms, vineyards and the redwoods. But he loved the ocean the most. He was a waterman. He loved surfing, paddle boarding, and just being in the water - to feel the waves and currents move around him. The beach was his happy place, his place of peace and rejuvenation, a special place for him and his family filled with love and memories. Nic will ultimately be laid to rest in the ocean so he can continue to bask in the sun, ride the waves and be forever free.

Nic is survived by his incredibly devoted wife, Suzie, his three amazing children of whom he was so proud - Mason (12), Evie (10) and Ellie (8), his loving parents, Pam and Vince, his adoring older brother, Vince, and a plethora of fantastic family and friends who have been there for Nic and his family through all the good and tough times. We love you dearly, Nic. Thank you for making the world a better place and being a part of our lives.

A celebration of life ceremony is planned for April 2023, at a location still to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made for the following:

To support an education fund for Nic's children at

https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memoriam-for-the-family-of-nic-bonotto

To support ALS research at

http://secure.alsagoldenwest.org/goto/InLovingMemoryofNicBonotto