Nicoleta “Nickie” Oliver, 65, of Henderson, Nevada, died in a car crash in West Windsor on December 28. She was a former resident of West Windsor, an elementary school teacher in the WW-P School District for more than 30 years, and owned a preschool, also in West Windsor. She was a back-seat passenger in a single-car accident on South Mill Road near New Edinburg Road in West Windsor.
“She was a wonderful fifth grade teacher for my daughter, who is 41 now,” says Linda Williams, one of many who commented on the death by E-mail or on Facebook. “Many others in that class hold her in high regard as do other children, now grown-ups, who had her. At one time she had a child care business on Village road just before Quaker Bridge Road,” says Williams. “It was a cute one story building.”
“Nickie Oliver was not just my fifth grade teacher,” says Claire Williams (Linda’s daughter). “Her effervescent spirit shaped me into the person and teacher I have become. I might not remember the exact English or mathematics lessons she taught me, but I remember feeling loved and special. She gave me my first job when I was in eighth grade in her Oliver Twist Nursery School. She taught me that teachers are humans, too. I am incredibly sad for this loss.”
“Ms. Oliver was a fantastic teacher whose energy and enthusiasm drew students in and made learning interesting and fun,” says Cathy Mallon. “She truly cared about and supported her students as whole people, as well as their academic development. I remember going back to visit her for years and years, and she always remembered me and asked detailed questions about me. A special kind of teacher and person does that … and Ms. Oliver was one of them.”
“So Sad! Nickie Oliver was my daughter’s teacher! She was a wonderful person!” Ann Santos wrote.
“I only knew Ms. Oliver at one remove, since I was just a parent of a student,” says Peggy Redman. “The thing I remember was her silly but instructive lessons, like following the exact words of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in an attempt to get kids to write more precisely, and devising a way to drop an egg from a height. She was certainly a fine role model for a teacher.”
“I knew Nickie and this is just so sad,” says Shannon Ludlum Ferrara, a longtime music teacher in WW-P. “I remember that she told me she loved ‘Pippin’ and I shared the music with her. She would always walk by me and sing:
‘Oh — it’s time to start livin’
Time to take a little from this world we’re given…
You will be in our hearts forever.”
