He existed and always will.
Nick’s exceptional intelligence became apparent at an early age. He took the SATs in the sixth grade, tested into the John Hopkins Talent Youth program, and frequently competed with his friends in reciting digits of pi. He excitedly explained computer functions to his father, John, whether or not John understood. In return, John taught Nick how to play baseball, nicknaming him “chicken wing” for his unique running style. They discovered, however, that Nick could pick up anything he put his mind to. In high school, he even managed a State Championship title for the boy’s gymnastics team—even more impressive considering he couldn’t even cartwheel when he joined.
Nick’s adaptability was in part because he loved trying new things. His hobbies included anything from skateboarding to thrifting records to doing butterfly knife tricks.
“He would try anything once,” his mother Robyn shared. “Sometimes that was a good thing, and other times not so much. He loved teaching himself new things, like composing music or playing the guitar. I could always hear him in his bedroom practicing viola–and then he’d break into song in his tone-deaf voice at the top of his lungs.”
His favorite pastime was making people laugh. Laughter is good medicine, and Nick was an expert at administering it—starting with his sister Olivia and his brother Jake. When it was his turn to play Santa for his family’s Christmas Eve party, he was “the skinniest little Santa you ever saw,” Robyn said. “We had to stuff him with pillows. The kids were none the wiser, but the rest of us had lots of laughs. He played the part like the goofball he was.” In school, rather than fitting into one group, he drew in all types of people with his kindness and quirky humor. As resident prankster and class clown, his classmates easily voted him “Most Memorable.”
Nick also showed his care in more serious ways. He adopted two bearded dragons, Miss Orangey and Nub, and nurtured them diligently. He showed the same dedication when he later became an EMT. Though it was only for a short time, he was proud of his work, and dreamed of becoming a paramedic full-time.
Despite his playful nature, Robyn sensed Nick carried a deep sadness inside. This took the forefront after he began using substances, starting with marijuana at age sixteen. While studying pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Rhode Island, he began using heroin. He withdrew after one semester and isolated himself.
“Living with someone with an active addiction caused chaos for the rest of the family,” Robyn said. “But the most difficult thing is trying to live without him. I would give anything to have him back, including any turmoil.”
Though Nick maintained recovery for seven months, he passed away after his first relapse. Following Nick’s death, Robyn found his recovery journal. Nick had written Please be happy, The sun will rise, and decorated it with a small sunshine. Robyn created a foundation, The Sun Will Rise, in Nick’s memory. The foundation provides peer grief support for those who have lost a loved one to substance use.
“I knew that was his message to himself to recover, but I took it as my message—that I could go on after his death,” Robyn said. “I thank him for his compassion and love for others that I can pass along.”
Nick’s mother, Robyn Houston-Bean, provided the information for this narrative.
July 15, 1994-May 23, 2015–Age 20
Portrait Artist: Theresa Clower
Narrative Writer: Angela Day
