Nichole “Nikki ” Lee Schluetter, 41
Nichole “Nikki ” Lee Schluetter, age 41 of New Hampton, died peacefully and surrounded by her family on Friday, March 12, 2021, at the Hospice Home in Waterloo.
Friends may greet the family from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 18, 2021, at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton followed by a 7 p.m. service with Rev. Brian Dellaert presiding.
Interment services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, March 19, 2021 at Calvary Cemetery in New Hampton.
All services are open to the public but if unable to attend in person please join the family online at the Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home Facebook page at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Nichole “Nikki” Lee Schluetter was born July 19, 1979, in New Hampton, the daughter of Steven and Kathleen (Galligan) Johnson. She was the second of four children in her family.
Born a tiny, premature baby, she was a fighter from the very beginning of her life. Nikki and her siblings were incredibly close. Her siblings fondly remember their dad teaching Nikki to pinch to defend herself from her older brother, but instead used it against the younger two, with mom having to step in to break it up.
Nikki’s younger years were split between the two places she called home — Plano, Texas, and New Hampton.
She attended New Hampton High School and was a member of the New Hampton Class of 1998. In school, she played the violin in the orchestra. Her mother remembers her using her skills playing quickly, but perfectly, to calm herself down when feeling upset. Nikki was never one to be coddled and had a strong inner strength to get through life’s challenges in her own independent way.
Nikki graduated from NICC in Calmar with an associates of arts degree in December 2019. Continuing her education was important to her, and she was currently taking additional business courses.
She was employed by TriMark Corporation in New Hampton, working as a quality support clerk. She was dedicated to her work and loved her work family. Nikki was a young mother to Rebecca, Katelyn, and Austin. She loved them with her whole heart and treasured her time with them.
She found the love of her life and best friend, Jamie, and the two married on June 4, 2016. They built a happy life together based on their deep friendship and love for one another. They found happiness in the simple things in life like going for long drives, stopping at small town restaurants for a bite to eat, snowmobiling, and going fishing.
Clear Lake was a favorite for them as they spent many weekends camping, boating, and fishing there. Nikki and Jamie loved to go to live concerts together. Nikki was an easy going person who found entertainment in coloring, playing board and card games, working on home projects, cooking, and watching The Game Show Network.
Nikki was very close to her Grandma Janet and enjoyed playing Wingo with her. The rest of her free time was spent napping or being with her beloved dog, Rocket. Nikki’s family and friends valued her compassion.
Putting others’ needs above her own, she could tell when loved ones were upset always asking what she could do to be there for them. She faced her struggles head on but always managed to find the bright side and put on a genuine smile. She never gave up on herself and always believed she could accomplish anything.
Survivors include her husband, Jamie; three children, Rebecca Gebel of Ankeny, Katelyn Gebel of Sioux City, and Austin Gebel of Moville; her parents, Steven and Kathleen Johnson of Playa del Carmen, Mexico; siblings, Michael (Melissa) Johnson of Waterloo; Christopher Johnson and Laura Johnson, both of Providence Village, Texas; paternal grandmother, Sharon Johnson of New Hampton; maternal grandmother, Janet Galligan of New Hampton; mother-in-law, Rosemary Schluetter of New Hampton; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather, Charles Galligan; paternal grandfather, Walter Johnson; cousins, Jonathan Galligan and Jesse Johnson; and father-in- law, Robert Schluetter.
