OCTOBER 27, 1980 – DECEMBER 2, 2020
Nicole LeeAnn Maxfield passed away peacefully at her home in Loveland, Colo., on December 2, 2020.
On October 27, 1980, beautiful baby girl Nicole LeeAnn Gilbert was born in Spring, Texas, to Raymond E. Gilbert and Joyce L. (Teakell) Gilbert.
Nicole will always be remembered for her creativity, generosity, intense love, and laugh-out-loud passion for life. She always loved a good joke, a good argument, and an old-fashioned good time. She touched more lives than she ever knew.
Nicole grew up in Pagosa Springs, Colo., Fort Collins, Colo., and Masonville, Colo., then moved with her family to New Braunfels, Texas for a short time before they returned to live in Berthoud, Colo.
Nicole graduated from Berthoud High School, attended art school, and then went on to earn her Associates Degree from Aimes Community College. She worked for many years as a CNA at various places, including Terrace Heights and Applewood Living Center.
Nicole's creativity, passion for art, and appreciation for beauty led her to fill her life and home with color and joy. Her artistic talents included oil painting, sewing, jewelry making, beading, paper crafts, crochet, candle- and soap-making, flower pressing, and many others. She always had one or more art projects in the works—often for someone else. Nicole had a generous heart, and rarely missed an opportunity to lavish those she loved with homemade gifts, cards, and baked goods.
Nicole showed enormous love to her family, and was fiercely loyal to friends. She always had a ready hug or kiss for those she loved and a helping hand for anyone who needed it. She once wrote, "I like to go out of my way every day and help make someone else's day a little bit better."
On June 29, 2005, Nicole and then-husband Max became parents to son Clayton Maxfield, to whom belonged the largest part of her heart. Nicole focused on giving Clay all the love and opportunities she could offer. He was the joy of her life, and she was so very proud of him. Nicole enjoyed spending time with Clay, doing everything together from sledding, fishing, and camping to outings such as to the zoo, aquarium, and even an Alaskan cruise with her parents. Raising her son brought her great joy, and she took every chance she had to nourish their relationship.
From childhood, Nicole had a soft spot for animals, and nurtured numerous pets through the years. She will be missed by her beloved dogs Sweetpea and Puggles.
Nicole especially adored babies and children. She lavished affection on her nieces and nephews, and volunteered regularly in the nursery at LifeBridge Christian Church, where she was a member and frequent volunteer.
Nicole refused to give in to the many difficult and unfair circumstances that came her way. Her perseverance, faith in God, and "the Gilbert stubbornness" always saw her through.
As a single mom, Nicole worked tirelessly to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Northern Colorado while simultaneously caring for her son. After graduation, she continued to pursue employment opportunities. Several years later, she was finally able to achieve her dream of being a teacher. She secured work teaching English as a Second Language, as well as substitute teaching. She loved her work and her students, and came home satisfied at the end of the day.
The world lost a beautiful and infinitely precious woman when Nicole went to live with Jesus. She is tenderly missed and will never be forgotten.
Nicole is survived by son Clayton Maxfield; father Raymond Gilbert and mother Joyce Gilbert, of Berthoud, Colo.; brother Austin and family of Monument, Colo.; half-brother Timothy Gilbert and family of Orlando, Fla.; half-brother Eric Gilbert and family of Queensbury, N.Y.; half-sister Gretchen Boynton and family of Genoa, Neb.; and grandmother Barbara Lewis of Texas City, Texas; as well as numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, and great-uncles.
She is preceded in death by her grandfathers Lee Teakell and Elmo Gilbert; grandmother Ernestine Gilbert; and uncle Johnny Gilbert.
An Open House Visitation will be held Wednesday, December 9, 2020 from 4:00-6:00pm at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel, 326 Terry St., Longmont, CO 80501. A Celebration of Life will take place Thursday, December 10, 2020 at 10:00am at LifeBridge Christian Church, 10345 Ute Hwy, Longmont, CO 80504. Occupancy limits and masking requirements will be observed. Please visit www.ahlbergfuneralchapel.com to share your condolences with the family.
