Nicholas Jacob Quillan

Nicholas Jacob Quillan was born in Olympia, Washington on February 5th, 1981, and passed away on January 8th, 2022, in South Bend, Indiana, just shy of his 41st birthday.
Nick was raised in Yelm, Washington by his dad: Ken Quillan. Nick was a cub scout. He learned to hunt and fish with his dad. At age twelve he got his first buck, which holds a place in the Boone and Crocket record books. Nick got his first job at Cherry Lanes chicken farm when he was fourteen, and he rode his bike to and from that job before and after school. Nick started kicking up his heels after that; He moved out of his dad's house in Yelm, quit school, and took a job as a carnival worker. He traveled around making friends, exploring new places, and partying like crazy.
Nick never met a stranger, and he loved showering his friends and loved ones with gifts of one kind or another. As anyone close to him knows, he would give them the shirt off his back if they needed.
Nick's life was marked by extremes. No one can deny he lived life loud, proud, and by his own rules. Nick was a gifted artist from an early age, and he loved music most of all. He was notorious for being a trailblazing punk rocker, although his taste in music encompassed everything from and between Led Zeppelin to Leftover Crack.
As Nick got older, he advanced his way from working in lumber mills to graduating from Centralia College with his Associate degree in welding. Then, he landed the job he was most proud of: Union Ironworker. Nick rose through the ranks quickly thanks to his education and natural talent for welding. He felt a great sense of accomplishment and pride in his membership with the Ironworker Union Local 86.
What Nick loved more than anything else were his children. He met Nicole Wilson (Nikki) when he was 17. They fell in love quickly, and the Wilson family accepted him as one of their own. Nick became a dad at the young age of 19 to his and Nikki's son, Nicholas James. Those around them affectionately named them "The Nick's." Later, he married Nikki and they had two more sons together: River and Layne. Although they eventually divorced, their relationship spanned twenty years and they remained close friends while parenting their kids together. Nick always said his sons were his reason for living.
Nick battled his demons every day and always felt he wasn't long for this earth, so celebrating his fortieth birthday in the company of all three of his sons, his dad, Ken, and his lifelong friend, Nikki, was an accomplishment he was amazed and happy to experience. He said he couldn't believe he lived to do it. Nick spent his last years with his boys and felt great pride and contentedness in his heart for that reason.
Nick was loved; he is and will be sorely missed by everyone who loved him. Rest easy, Nick.