Obituary of Nicola Balderi

Nicola "Nick" Balderi passed away on September 6, 2018 at his home in Lakewood, NY. He was 67 years old. Nick was born in Pietrasanta, Italy and moved to Grosse Pointe, MI at age 3. He earned his BFA in Industrial and Interior Design from Wayne State University and then began his career as a designer for Rosetti Associates, the Smith Group and as a partner at HOK. An award winning interior and product designer, he started his own design firm, NB Associates, in 1983. The Plexus Landscape Forms product line was created at NB Associates and remains in widespread production today. Nick also held several executive positions in the furniture industry, including VP of Research & Development for KI and for Jami Inc., VP & General Manager for Grahl USA, CEO/President of BackSaver Corp. and VP & General Manager for Inscape Walls. Most recently, Nick offered design consultation services through StudioBalderi. Nick was a talented draughtsman and painter who loved being creative. He was "always thinking". In his spare time, he loved flying small aircraft, sailing, and riding motorcycles. He loved taking his Shih Tzu dog, named Lil' Miss Bits, for walks. His family will miss the sparkle in his eye and his deep sense of humor so very much. He is survived by his loving family: partner, Julie Nelson; father and stepmother, Mike and Marian Balderi; his son, Michael (Mana) Balderi and grandson, Alessandro of Tokyo, Japan; his daughter, Sara Balderi and partner Philip Angileri of Pawtucket, RI; his sister, Lisa (Marco) Capicchioni; and his nephews Luca and Dante of Chicago, IL. He was preceded in death by his wife, Karen Schilling Balderi and his mother, Alba Venturelli Balderi. Donations may be sent in Nick's memory to the Audubon Community Nature Center, 1600 Riverside Rd., or to the Salvation Army, 83 S. Main St., both Jamestown, NY 14701. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Audubon Community Nature Center on October 20th from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. On that Saturday, people are invited to come and go during this time to honor Nick, share stories, laughter and comfort.