Nicholas Elsu Gundersen

Nicholas E. Gundersen, 15, of Boise, Idaho, passed away January 2, 2021, after a long battle with the medical industry over a leukemia diagnosis. Unfortunately, his body never recovered from the last round of chemotherapy he was given.

He was born in Huntington, NY on October 27, 2005, and lived most of his life on Long Island. He is survived by his parents, Sergio Botto and Candace Gundersen; his sister, Marlisa; his brothers, Bjorn and Medwyn; nephews, Mason and Carter; cousins, Francis and Antoinette; aunts, Sonina, Maricel, and  Damaris; uncles, Gabe, Aaron, and Brandon; and grandparents, Sergio Botto, Arthur Laricci, Bani LaRiche, and Richard Froese.

Nicholas was a kind-hearted, strong-spirited, courageous soul with a great sense of humor.  He always had a joke handy and spread love to everyone he encountered.  We had a storefront in Huntington and when he was very small, he would visit neighboring stores, making friends with other business owners and their employees.  As he got older, he would ride his bike and skateboard up and down the block, waving to everyone like a little town mayor.

Nicholas always loved music and art. He would play piano and guitar at home learning on his own and with family friends. He later went on to play trumpet in the school band. During his hospital stays, he learned to play ukulele. His favorite form of art was drawing with pencil.  He would sketch out different pictures in his art pad when he had enough strength to do so. 

He insisted on being outside as much as possible and enjoyed hiking and camping with his boy scout troop.  He was always very physically active, from playing basketball and soccer to riding and doing tricks with bmx bikes and skateboards. He raced RC cars and played video games with his friends any chance he got. He was a junior black belt in TKD and performed with his classmates across Long island.

After moving to Idaho, Nick spent a tremendous amount of time in the hospital. He looked forward to spending time with kids from youth group in between his hospital stays. His primary oncologist was a humane, compassionate man.  His social worker, a Godsend and always looked out for him. He had his special favorite nurses, including his hospice nurse, who became like a family to him.  He also loved his physical therapist who went out of his way to encourage and support Nick during the most difficult times, and who showed him love and kindness until the end. We will be forever grateful to all the people, including the wonderful families we met after moving to Idaho, who cared for Nicholas and loved him through this extraordinarily difficult journey.

A memorial service will be held Saturday January 30, 2021 10:30 am MST/12:30 pm EST at Real Life Ministries 1098 North Hickory Ave, Meridian, ID 83642. For anyone not able to make the in-person service, there will be live stream broadcast online. Please email candaceg009@gmail.com with any questions. The family requests memorial tributes be directed to Nicholas Gundersen’s medical and funeral fund to assist with expenses. Donations can be made here - https://www.gofundme.com/f/nick-warrior-from-heaven