News : Family, friends remember Nicole Jacobson as \'sister at heart\'

Those who gathered at Phillips Funeral Home chapel to honor Nicole Jacobson on Tuesday remember her as a sweet, soft-spoken science lover who didn’t use bad words, a friend who could change the outlook of those around her without saying a word.

“I loved seeing her smile because it always made me want to smile,” said Regzhena Rothberg, who grew up as a neighbor to Nikki but called her “one of the best little sisters.”

Rothberg’s sister by birth, Victoria Kramer, agrees.

“Nicole wasn't just my neighbor growing up,” said Kramer. “She was my sister at heart. I will never forget all the slumber parties and great times we had.”

Since Nicole’s death in the April 9 accident that also claimed the lives of four others, her friends, classmates and colleagues have joined her family in grieving and sharing memories of how she impacted the lives of those around her.

“She was always there with me growing up. We helped each other through everything,” says Kramer. “The world will never be the same without her.”

The two neighbors recall hanging out at the park in Shellsburg, riding four-wheelers and weekend trips to that cabin in Linn County.

“I will always cherish Nicole's presence in my heart,” says Kramer.

Rothberg recalls that Nikki’s favorite color was purple but when she was younger, she preferred blue.

“She loved Ramen Noodles. She taught me how to make them in the microwave,” Rothberg recalls. “She loved playing cards. She was always taking pictures of herself. She was so cute – always sticking out her tongue in pictures."

Nikki loved to pick on her siblings, but was very close to them all, Rothberg said. “She inspired everyone she came across.”

"She was very friendly and kind of shy, just like our dad," said little brother Wyatt Tumilty. "She always enjoyed going on our 'Tumilty Adventureland' trip every year. She was a great-hearted person and she will be greatly missed."

Friends love remembering Nikki’s very quiet voice, and how she almost never swore.

“And she had the cutest dainty hands,” said Rothberg. “She had long, bony fingers, almost like a pianist. I was always envious of her tiny hands.”

Nikki, a 2012 graduate of Vinton-Shellsburg, had worked on the school paper, The Viking Voice. She had attended Kirkwood Community College with the goal of becoming a pharmacist. She had worked at McDonald’s and Casey’s.

“I always remember her being so bubbly,” said former colleague Jenna Wheeler “She was really smart and helpful. You could always go to her; if you needed someone to talk to, she would be there for you. I remember when we had a tornado warning at work and the whistle was going off, I started crying and she was there and calmed me down.”