Laura Lyon Nikolich

On Thursday, July 4th, Laura Lyon Nikolich passed away at the age of 70. She was born in Charleston, West Virginia on June 25, 1954 to Dana and Kathleen (Lyon) Evans.
Laura was the second of three children, with older sister Kim and younger sister Dana. Laura was a bright woman who displayed her independence and motivation from a young age. She was one of the few women to earn a degree in computer science from the University of South Florida in 1976 and she earned an MBA from Florida Atlantic University in 1979. Laura served as an adjunct professor at Broward Community College in Pompano, Florida, where she taught programming courses that made her love for technology accessible to others.
Laura's firm belief in the power of education laid the foundation for her accomplished and varied career. She designed software for applications ranging from nuclear power plant monitoring systems to radio paging terminals. Her deeply creative nature eventually led her to become a videogame developer. Laura joined this industry in its infancy and proudly designed "everything but the box art" for an original Spiderman video game for the Atari platform. This was a fact she frequently reminded her children of, and fittingly so, as she accomplished this while pregnant with her eldest son, Evan, born in 1982.
Laura went on to have three more children – Kyle, Adam and Anna – with her husband, Paul Nikolich, and spent most of her adult life in Lynnfield, Massachusetts raising her family. Laura found tremendous joy in parenting and proudly became a stay-at-home mom from 1987 onward. She cultivated an extensive garden, designed and hand-made original Halloween costumes, curated her signature recipe books, filled her home with many loved rescue animals, and led many Lynnfield children along Boston's Freedom Trail as an enthusiastic chaperone. Both protective and demanding, Laura was actively involved in every aspect of her children's lives and raised them to become independent individuals who found success in their academic, athletic, and professional pursuits. Laura saw her children travel far and wide in adulthood. She was proud of the homes and careers they created, and was blessed with four grandchildren, Aurelia, Freya, Ivan, and Luka. Even with all this success, she made sure her children always knew they had a home to return to in her as well.
Laura found new hobbies later in life, becoming a certified scuba diver after meeting her long-term partner, Ed Robbins, with whom she also shared a passion for photography. She enjoyed travel and celebration, whether it meant venturing to a new island or returning to a favorite restaurant. Laura also found peace at home, where she would embroider quilts for her grandchildren and nurture her plants and pets.
Although Laura will be remembered for many things, it is the depth of her love and devotion that unites these memorable qualities. Whether rescuing an animal, mothering a child or laughing with a friend, Laura was someone who found her purpose and happiness in caring for others. She will be truly missed and leaves a legacy in those she loved.
A memorial service celebrating Laura's life will be held on August 8th at 11:00 AM at Brewitt Funeral Home at 9 Pleasant St, Epping, NH, followed by a reception at The Holy Grail restaurant at 2:00 PM at 64 Main St, Epping, NH. In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are encouraged: https://www.justgiving.com/page/laura-nikolich.