Nicolette Heather Thornton died May 22, 2004 of an apparent massive stroke after three prior, smaller strokes. She was 37 years old.
She is survived by her husband Jim Gottardi, of Alameda; a son whom she lovingly gave up for adoption at his birth some years ago; her beloved cat Snowflake; mother Louise Thornton Loots, who lives near Elkhorn Slough; father Douglas Thornton and family, of Royal Oaks; sister Keira Pride and her husband David with sons Brandon and Aaron, of Gilroy; brother Jonathon Thornton and his fiancee Patricia Mendoza, of Watsonville; grandparents George and Virginia Thornton, of Chicago, Ill; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by George and Helen Loots, of Manson, IA.
Nicolette was born in Chicago on January 3, 1967. In 1978 his family moved to Felton, CA, where she and her sister kept ponies and horses at a corral by the river. Nicolette loved barrel racing and was quite good at it. She graduated from SLVHS in 1984 and attended Cabrillo College, while simultaneously managing a modeling agency in San Jose and modeling in several shows. In 1988 she transferred to UCLA to pursue her goal of becoming a TV anchorwoman. In 1990 she suffered a severe head injury, resulting in the loss of right eye and paralysis of her left side. While her chances of remaining alive were only 5 percent, she survived due to a skilled neurosurgeon, many prayers and her strong will to live. She returned to the Santa Cruz area and began the long journey to regain full use of her body and to relearn academic skills. She attended UCSC, majored in psychology and lacked only one course to graduate.
Nicolette struggled with very difficult genetic flaws, including severe depression/anxiety and a predisposition to addiction. The head injury was a third blow, one that constantly challenged her self-esteem. Yet she was a beautiful, loving person who became a minister in the Universal Life Church and wrote many compassionate poems for friends grieving the loss of a loved one. She also wrote poems for her mother. Her dreams were to write a book to help others with similar struggles and to begin a ministry. She founded Morning Doves Ministries and designed a symbol for it – a yellow, Celtic cross with a red dove flying across it, holding in its beak a branch with green leaves.
A memorial service was held Tuesday, June 8 in Ceres, CA. Another one will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 17 in the Student Center at Gavilan College, where her mother taught English. All staff, students and friend are invited. A final service will be held on Saturday, June 26 at 1 p.m. in the Upper Room at First Cong. Church, 900 High St. in Santa Cruz. All are welcome. To all those who loved and cared for Nicolette, thank you.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Nicolette’s name may be made to any organization that rescues cats, to any food pantry or to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill at: Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Santa Cruz County, P.O. Box 360, Santa Cruz, CA 95061.
