On Monday July 17, 2023, Silvia Guadalupe Nicholson (49), of Forked River, New

Jersey, passed away peacefully at home following a courageous battle with cancer.

Silvia is survived by her loving and devoted husband David, and two beautiful children,

Elias and Grace.  She is also survived by sister Natalia, Mother Sidonia, Grandmother

Yolanda, and many Aunts, Uncles, and extended family in Peru. On June 27, 1974, Silvia was born into a large extended family in Arequipa, Peru. Raised largely by her grandparents Yolanda and Juan, along with her aunts and uncles, in a multi-generational home, she was brought up with a passion for learning and

worked hard to be in the top of her class throughout her academic career. She walked

the halls of elementary school at Maria Auxiliadora and secondary school at Saint Rose

of Viterbo where she became a part of a rambunctious yet academically-minded group

of girl calling themselves “Las Sapies”. It is said that Silvia and Las Sapies gave the

Sister Superior a headache or two! After graduating from high school in 1991, Silvia

attended National University of Saint Augustine in Arequipa, Peru, graduating with a

degree in Biology. But she always had her sights set on making a life for herself in the

United States and meeting Axel Rose from her favorite band, Guns ‘N’ Roses…….

Silvia arrived in the US in 2001 and worked as an au pair in several homes, mostly

located in Long Island, NY, before taking a job in medical billing. Her passion for

learning and education never waivered. She was ALWAYS diligent in taking her

training and even college-type courses to better herself within her field. This persistent

self-improvement would eventually lead her to complete and pass her exam to be a

Certified Medical Coder. On one of the last good beach days in September of 2007, playing volleyball on a beach

in Long Island, Silvia met the love of her life in David Nicholson…….though she didn’t

know it quite yet. As she tried to set him up with a friend, it took him a few months of

persuading, but in February of 2008, Silvia and David were an item. From day one,

volleyball was their passion and connection. Silvia was his setter and David was her

hitter, and their love bloomed. David proposed to Silvia looking out over the ocean in

Mendocino, CA, and she said…..”Are you sure?” To which David said “I’ve never been

more sure!”. They married each other, surrounded by just a couple of friends and

family, on the beach in Long Island on July 24, 2009, and later had a larger ceremony

for all friends and family on September 12, 2009, at the beach in Lavallette, NJ.

David and Silvia moved to Hanover, MD in early 2011 to follow David’s job. They

bought a new house and lived there with Silvia’s sister Natalia for a couple of years. On

June 13, 2012, Silvia’s true passion in life was realized when Elias William Nicholson

was born. As many of her friends before David would attest, Silvia never wanted to

have children. She did not want to contribute to the world’s overpopulation. But the

love that David and Silvia shared changed her mind and she was off on her most

important journey. In early 2013, the new family of three moved to Toms River, NJ. Again, for David’s job.

Silvia loved these moves. She loved seeing new places and meeting new people and

moving was a great way to do both. Since Silvia married David, she had been on a quest to become a United States citizen. No surprise, she easily passed her required citizenship classes and nailed her

citizenship interview and became a US citizen in the fall of 2013. This was a major life

milestone for Silvia and she was so proud to be an official member of the United States

of America. And she could not wait to start voting in the next election! In fact, Silvia

and David never missed an election or even a primary since that day.

Silvia really started to show her passion for giving back and volunteering when she

started as a tutor with the Citizenship Preparation Program for students preparing for

the citizenship interview and exam. This program was coordinated by Sister of Charity,

Sr. Peggy Nulty. Sr. Peggy describes Silvia as “no doubt the best tutor volunteer I had.

Her expertise and patience was remarkable, as was her generosity, giving of her time

and talent. Over the 9 years she volunteered, she prepared about 30 students and they

all passed the citizenship exams.” A true testament to Silvia’s huge heart and passion

for making the world better through action.

On January 13, 2014, Grace Aurelia Nicholson was born, adding one more to the

Nicholson brood making Silvia’s heart even more full. She was so happy to have a little

boy and a little girl to mold and groom and lead towards greatness. Elias and Grace are

her favorite accomplishments and a true reflection of her heart, mind and soul.

Silvia later went on to volunteer with the Toms River, NJ, police department as an

Auxiliary Police Officer starting in 2017. It was an unpaid position that required that she

be sprayed in the face with pepper spray during training, but 41 year old Silvia beat out

many other younger applications and finished near the top of her training class in both

physical and mental examinations.

Silvia loved running and was a part of the Toms River Running Club and Be Fit Gym in

Forked River, NJ, when she and David moved again. She started running to lose some

baby weight, but it quickly turned into a passion. She loved early morning runs with her

running buddies, no matter the temperature. The pinnacle of her running career was

her completion of the Atlantic City Ironman 70.3 on David’s birthday (9/15) in 2019.

When Elias began swimming competitively on the Ocean County YMCA swim team,

she threw herself into another volunteer role. This time, as an officially certified USA

Swimming official. Her motivation? To be on the swim deck with Elias while he swam.

But as an official, she supported all swimmers on deck admiring their achievements and

passion for the sport. She always brought positive energy to the swim deck, silently

chanting for swimmers and celebrating their triumphs, big or small. And in the off

chance that she was in the crowd, her homemade signs cheering on Elias were things

of beauty and totally embarrassing for Elias. Silvia was a beacon of light and positivity to all who met her. Her smile could light up a room and her sense of humor could make you roar. She was humble beyond measure,

but maintained an intellect that regularly out-smarted her husband. She loved to travel

and visited many new places with her family. She was the creative heart of her family of

four. School projects were a breeze for her. Outside of the volunteerism already

highlighted, she was constantly chipping in at Elias and Grace’s schools.

She was a true original and one of one, and we will sorely miss her.

RIP Silvia Guadalupe Nicholson

Donations to the Toms River Police Department on behalf of Silvia Nicholson https://www.tomsriverpolicefoundation.org/donate/for-silvia

Donations towards an educational fund for Elias and Grace Nicholson

https://www.gofundme.com/f/education-fund-for-elias-and-grace-nicholson?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1