Obituary of Nicholas S. Wedler

NICHOLAS STEPHAN WEDLER Copenhagen, Denmark- Nick came into the world he loved so much on July 29, 1974, in Albany, New York. He was a happy youngster, and handsome - ethereally beautiful as a friend described him - but also inventive, intelligent, curious and creative. Already a lover of nature and animals, Nick was four when he created what he called "bug swings," twigs with a little string tied to each end. He hung them in the bushes for the bugs to enjoy. When he was five, the man he would become was already apparent. In the words of a friend, "There was a fearlessness about Nick that I so greatly admire." He walked nearly a mile back to school when the school bus dropped him off to the family who watched him in the afternoon, only to discover they were away. I, his mom, can see him still in his little blue coat and red knit hat with the pompom on top, walking confidently along a two-lane road without sidewalks, facing traffic. My heart nearly stopped at the sight! But he was unafraid, sure that getting back to school and to me was the right thing to do. In first grade, he came home to tell me with great surprise that his classmate didn't know what an atom was. But he did! He said he couldn't figure out what the point was in learning to read until he realized there was much to find out about atoms if he did. So he started reading and he never stopped. Nick was curious to learn about so many things. In middle school, he decided to make holographic photos at home. Next to impossible, we told him. That was all he needed to hear! Along with a classmate, some careful research, and construction of a special table, he did it. Holography at home! In high school, he chose Russian as his language just because so few others were taking it. With the guidance of a wonderful teacher, that course altered the path of his life. On a class trip to what was then the USSR, Nick was in a group of the first Americans to march in the Red Square May Day parade. He also met a beautiful girl. Motivated by love, Nick learned to speak so well that in his junior year, he won first place in the New York State Olympiada of Spoken Russian. Many exchanges followed and many visits to what became Russia and to other Eastern European countries. Nick was truly a citizen of the world. At various times, he lived in Washington State, Belize, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Ukraine. Eventually, he chose to settle in the Czech Republic where he taught conversational English to private clients. But still he traveled, most often alone, confident as ever and unafraid. A few years ago, he got himself a puppy, a big black Lab he named D.O.G. and he no longer traveled alone. D.O.G. was everything to him and always by his side - he was with Nick on his last adventure as he sought additional training in scuba diving, another interest that drove him to challenge himself. Most recently, he was living in Copenhagen, Denmark, but he had decided to return to the U.S. to live in Santa Cruz, California. Alas, Nick has finally returned home, but in the most heart-breaking, tragic way possible. He perished in a diving accident on March 15, 2015, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Our Nick lived a life most of us only dream of, on his own terms, loving every moment until the last. Predeceased by his father, Frederick Wedler, Jr., Nick is mourned and will be forever missed by his family, his stepfather and mother Jim and Stephanie Albro, his brother Frederick Wedler III, his sister Andrea Wedler, his niece Grace Wedler, his nephew Adam Brar, and his beloved D.O.G., along with his many friends all over the world. Nick was a 1992 graduate of Tamarac High School in Brunswick, NY, and of Penn State University in 1997, where he majored in sustainable agriculture. A memorial will be held for him on Saturday, March 28, at the Dufresne & Cavanaugh Funeral Home, 149 Old Loudon Road, Latham, NY. Calling hours begin at 1 PM with services at 3 PM. Nick was an environmentally-conscious vegetarian, so instead of flowers, kindly consider a contribution to The Nature Conservancy (nature.org) in Nick's name, using their Honorary Tribute Donation Form. For directions, information or to light a memory candle for the family please visit www.dufresneandcavanaugh.com.