Obituary of Nicalene L. Gullotti

Nicalene LaValle Gullotti passed away early Sunday morning, November 28, 2021, at Heritage Village Rehab and Skilled Nursing Facility, Gerry, NY. She was born on February 20, 1934, two parents, Samuel J. LaValle and Ada LaValle (Lunetta). She grew up in Jamestown and lived here all of her life. On September 12, 1953, she married the love of her life, Dominic A. Gullotti. At the time of her passing, they were married for 68 years. They had one child, Daniel T. Gullotti who resides in Jamestown with his wife, Sandra L. Gullotti. After graduating from high school, and following her marriage to Dominic, she traveled to Colorado and then to Germany to be with her husband who was serving in the United States Army. While in Germany, they lived in an apartment off base in Stuttgart. They traveled extensively throughout Europe before returning to the United States. Nicalene's love of travel was lifelong. Together with her husband and other family, she traveled extensively to Italy, Florida, Williamsburg, Virginia, California, Maine, and many other places throughout the United States. Nikki was very interested in politics and current events. She believed strongly in supporting the rights of working men and women. She was a proud member of the NYSUT teachers' union. She also believed in providing for those less fortunate. Her abiding belief was that we should all try to make this world a better place while we are on earth. She loved her family dearly. She was always surrounded by, and took tremendous pleasure in, spending time with her family including her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and brothers and sisters in law. She was always ready with a camera in hand at many family gatherings and she spent a great deal of time meticulously compiling detailed family albums. In 1967, she graduated from SUNY Fredonia and began teaching at Bush Elementary School where she taught second grade for 22 years. She loved teaching until her father passed in 1987 which was very hard on her. She retired two years later in 1989. She is survived by her husband, Dominic, her son Daniel, daughter-in-law, Sandy, two grandchildren, Rebecca and Jacob, and a very large extended family. Her passing leaves a void in the lives of those who loved and knew her which will be impossible to fill. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Samuel R. LaValle, of Half Moon Bay, CA. In accordance with Nikki's wishes, she desired cremation and there will be no service or visitation observed. A celebration of her life will be held in the summer of 2022 and all family and friends are invited to attend. Nikki's family would like to extend a special thanks to all the caregivers at Heritage Village who cared for Nikki during her time at Heritage Village especially, Kelly, Wendy, Jamie, Jolene, Teresa, Jody, Kara, Patty and many others. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to PBS/NPR at Horizons Plaza, P.O. Box 1263, Buffalo, NY 14240-1263 or online at Buffalo/Toronto Public Media, PBS/NPR.