IN LOVING MEMORY OF PETE BUK: SUPPORT FOR NIKI NELSON

Dear Friends, Family, and Compassionate Supporters:

My name is Kat and I have been a close friend of Niki Nelson for 27 years. My heart goes out to Niki, her pup, Sophie Mae, and their family for their recent unexpected and heartbreaking loss of Pete Buk.

While Pete and Niki spent years dealing with expensive health issues, Pete’s passing was sudden and unexpected in October of 2024. Niki was obviously devastated and has spent the past few months struggling to keep things together, but this has become more than she can handle on her own.

With hope (but not expectation), I humbly ask that you please donate to Niki to help alleviate some of their extensive expenses while she navigates through the grieving process. Funds will go towards keeping her and Sophie Mae in the home they shared with Pete, medical bills (no health insurance), day-to-day expenses and for Pete’s Celebration of Life. It is my hope that your support will help alleviate her overwhelming stress, and unmanageable financial burden.

Niki & Pete’s Story

Niki moved to the Truckee/Tahoe area in 1994 and Pete in 2002. They fell in love in 2014 and soon became inseparable. Tahoe was the ideal place for their adventurous life. They loved snowboarding, XC skiing, traveling, friends and family camping trips, paddle boarding, hiking and daily adventures with their pup Sophie Mae.

A few years into their relationship Pete started having health issues. While working, he fell off a ladder and had a grand mal seizure causing two bleeds in his brain and inability to speak. Niki was diligently by his side through a month in the ICU and months of rehabilitation and speech therapy. He was diagnosed with epilepsy and was put on permanent medication to manage it.

In 2022 Pete started experiencing another set of health issues which eventually put him in the hospital for several days in February of 2024. He was diagnosed with anemia, an excruciating case of edema and had a banding procedure done on his esophagus and stomach. A few months later (while still going through the healing process) he had to return to work. He pushed through the busy summer and fall months, but on October 23rd, Pete woke up not feeling well. While taking Sophie Mae out, Pete had a seizure in their driveway. He hit the back of his head so hard Niki heard it from inside their house. She rushed to him and applied pressure to his head while a kind neighbor called for an ambulance. He was taken to the ER where they medicated him, put staples in his head and then sent him home. Soon after returning home, Pete stopped breathing and did not have a pulse. Niki tried desperately to revive him, as did the paramedics who spent over 30 minutes providing CPR. Despite their best efforts, Pete passed away at the young age of 44.

Pete was loved by so many (including his furry friends!) and he will be sorely missed. He was a selfless, thoughtful, kind, genuine, loving, loyal and generous being. He would offer you the shirt off his back, give you his last dollar, and pull over if you were stranded on the side of the road (and make you laugh while doing so!). In addition to being a stellar human being, Pete was a phenomenal chef for over 20 years and was recognized for his talents and creativity as a woodworker. Such a tragic loss!!

Any amount no matter how small, will make a difference and our gratitude is immeasurable!! If you feel able to, please share this fundraiser with your network.THANK YOU AND MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL