Nicole Marie Northway, 52, of Wilton, Connecticut, passed away on October 18, 2026 after a long, brave fight with cancer.

Nicole’s light shone brighter than she knew. She had a way of making people feel that someone was there for them—paying attention, willing to help, and praying for them. Those of us who loved her saw it in the little things she did every day. Our “Sparkle Pony” left her imprint on more people than she probably ever fully understood.

Born on April 1, 1974, at Fort Bragg Hospital in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Nicole was the daughter of David Wheel and Carol Mahany. She grew up in Colchester, Vermont, outside Burlington, surrounded by family, beauty, and the arts. The oldest of three children, alongside Jeremy and Shannon, she filled her days with dance, music, and crafts. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 1996 with a degree in psychology.

Her mother, Carol, remembers Nicole at about two years old, sitting on the piano bench playing away with a pair of training pants on her head. She was her mother’s little ballerina, with a love of dance that eventually found its way into the rhythms of Zumba. Her father, Dave, treasured the memory of the entire family singing “Heartlight” by Neil Diamond at a church talent show, with Nicole naturally drawn to performing for people. Music and movement would stay with her throughout her life.

Nicole met her husband, Rob, at the dawn of the new millennium in the dreary corporate world of Hewitt Associates, where they sat near each other until she finally succumbed to his incessant cuteness. He loved how easy she was to make laugh, and she had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. But to be clear, she showed up out of the blue to pick him up for their first date at a friend’s Christmas party.

Rob tended to move too quickly. Nicole took her time. When he blurted out “I love you” a little too early in their relationship, they agreed on a secret code word that belonged only to them: “Fruit Loops.”

They married on beautiful fall day on September 25, 2004, at the Skinner Barn in Waitsfield, Vermont, it was a special event and very much embodied who they were as a couple. They shared 22 years of marriage. Their life together took them from Stamford to their first house in Norwalk, where they started their family, and then to Wilton in 2013. Nicole brought hope, faith in other people, and a deep belief in the value of service into the home they built.

Being a mother was at the center of Nicole’s universe. She put her whole heart into Mackenzie and Zachary.

Nicole and Mackenzie were each other’s number one. They could fight fiercely and love each other even more fiercely, with a bond whose depth was unmistakable. Her little ladybug was always front of Nicole’s mind. Zachary was her protector and her joy. He made her laugh hard, and their deep conversations on the car rides to school brought them ever closer. In his music, we can hear something of Nicole being carried forward.

She read to the children endlessly, sang to them, and wrote them notes for no special occasion. Christmas and birthdays meant finding just the right gift or experience, sometimes with considerable stress because she wanted so badly to get it right.

She decorated for every holiday, but Christmas was something special. Nicole was, without apology, a Christmas tree snob. One year, the family went out two days before Christmas to replace a tree that did not meet her standards. She cared about the memories they were making. Through all of it, she taught her children to take care of people, take care of their environment, and take care of themselves.

Nicole was proud of her work as a project manager at Hewitt Associates, but dancing and teaching Zumba brought her pure happiness. Becoming a certified instructor mattered deeply to her, especially the opportunity to teach her special needs group at STAR. Her longtime Zumba crew at the YMCA’s meant so much to her that they continued meeting over Zoom during COVID just to stay connected. When they got back on the dance floor together it was like coming home to lifelong friends.

Her generosity often happened quietly. She was the friend who left an anonymous gift, offered to pick something up at the store, or went for a walk so someone could talk and feel heard. Even through difficult periods of her own life, she made room for other people.

A lifelong animal lover, Nicole supported the ASPCA and volunteered in pet adoption. Her seven-year-old twin gray cats, Millie and Micah, and her two-year-old pup, Hope, made her so happy that her husband was a bit jealous.

She gave her time to her children’s schools, “Zero Waste” efforts, marching band, softball games, and any chance to help out. Her Catholic faith mattered to her, and yet her broader spiritual curiosity also led her to Reiki certification, holistic healing, and drum circles. She loved working out with heavy weights and valued keeping her body strong. She was gentle and often shy and reserved but people loved getting to know her.

There was a tremendous strength behind the sparkle. She worked hard, felt deeply, and gave generously. She frowned upon using bad language. “Jesum Crow!” generally did the job. Her smile, her snuggles, her honesty and her laugh are among the things her family will miss most.

Nicole’s family includes her husband, Robert Northway; her children, Mackenzie and Zachary Northway; her parents, David Wheel and Carol Mahany; her brother, Jeremy Wheel; her sister, Shannon Wheel, and her spouse, Ira Cummings; her grandmother, Elsa Wheel; her uncle and aunt, Jeff and Robin Wheel; her aunt and uncle, Jeanine and Leo Blais; her mother-in-law, Cornelia Northway; her brother-in-law, Jay Northway; Aunt Donna Lalumiere, Uncle Wayne Wilcox and Patricia and Aunt Janet Stannard, and many cousins. A special place was held in Nicole’s heart for her nieces and nephew, Kae Northway, Marie Wheel, Cadence Cummings, and Ethan Cummings. She was predeceased by her grandfather, Walter Wheel and grandmother Edith Wilcox.

Her family is grateful to the entire Yale New Haven Neuro-Oncology team led by Dr. Nicholas Blondin, Dr David Reardon at Dana Farber Mass General, and Dr. Jack DiTeodoro and the countless physician assistants, nurses, technicians and aides for their care and unwavering support during our journey.

Services will be held on October 24 at Saint Jerome Church in Norwalk at 1pm (23 Half Mile Rd, Norwalk, CT 06851). In lieu of flowers for those interested in supporting the programs she was passionate about please consider STAR Inc (https://starincct.org/), The American Brain Tumor Association (https://www.abta.org/), the American Red Cross (redcross.org) or by joining or supporting your local YMCA.

Nicole was my wife, the mother of our children, and our life. We will miss her laugh, her beautiful eyes, how her hands felt holding them, her way of making little things important, and the ordinary days we shared so special.

Go dance without pain, without sadness, and I will see you when it’s time.

Fruit loops.