Nicholas Mason Pelletier, 55, son of Brenda and Joseph Pelletier all of Gorham, passed away on October 13th at Maine Medical Center in Portland due to a heart event. Nick was born on April 23, 1969 in Portland. He graduated from Gorham High School in 1987 and left to serve in the United States Army in 1988. It was his service in the first Gulf War on the front lines that subsequently left Nick with horrific memories that continued to haunt him. Despite this, once discharged Nick put his efforts into living a better life – all while dealing with PTSD. Nick attended Andover College and earned his Associate Degree in Computer Science and followed his passion for the field. He worked most of his IT career as a network administrator. His final position was with HillRom where he traveled the United States and beyond setting up the communication systems that tied the patient's bed to the nurses' stations. He became a supervisor coordinating the installation, troubleshooting, and training personnel. He once traveled to Dubai to do just this. Naturally, Nick was the go-to person for all things computer related for his family and friends – from setting up his nephew Gio's system from scratch to doing his best to keep his Mom from obliterating whatever he had just fixed for her! Nick excelled in whatever he did. In his spare time, he learned enough about construction to work on several projects. Minor and major renovations to kitchens, building a two-story garage and adding a spa room to his Mom's studio space were just some of his proud accomplishments in that field. Nick had another passion that few people knew about – he was a gamer, but not in the sense that most people associate gaming with. He put out a note within the gaming community that was the beginning of a huge support group for not just vets but others in need of a calming voice: "Gulf War vet using gaming for an alternate reality. It's been working since 1994. Would like to create a community of vets for that place to go" This one post started a group that grew to hundreds, all of whom knew Nick, leaned on Nick, and lived better lives because of him. We have been told many stories that simply validate what we already knew – he was a great man who died too soon. Nick had chosen to be an organ donor and his wish was honored in the most beautiful way one could ever imagine. His nurses and the rest of the staff of the Cardiac Care Intensive Unit at MMC walked his flag draped bed down the halls, lined with staff from many parts of MMC to the elevator, taking Nick to his final task – providing hope and life to others. We couldn't be prouder of Nick and these amazing humans, especially Gabriella, who served him on his journey. Nick is survived by his parents, his brothers Scott (Deanna), Bob (Robin), sisters Tricia (Travis), Sherma (Patrick), Sharon (Thomas), nephews Brent, Gio, Jason, Dan, Lucas, nieces Alicia, Gianna, Michele, Erin, Ashley. Nick and Elizabeth Bruni were married for over twenty years and although estranged for several years they remained friends, and the Bruni family was still part of his life. He leaves Elizabeth, stepdaughter Amy, stepson Matthew, grandchildren Kaylie, Kynslie, Cameron, Ellie, and many nieces and nephews. Nick was pre-deceased by his infant son, Joshua Nicholas Pelletier. Among the friends Nick leaves behind are Linda Hughes, who shared many conversations and impromptu dinners with Nick these past few years and Jason Brann, his closest and most cherished friend since grade school. Jason was with us for Nick's honor walk and is forever part of his family. There will be a funeral mass for Nick at St. Anne's Church in Gorham on Saturday, November 2nd at 11:00am with a gathering in the church community room following. In lieu of flowers, donations to www.theHead StrongProject.org are welcome. The Head Strong Project is a non-profit mental health organization providing confidential, barrier-free, and stigma-free PTSD treatment to our veterans, service members, and family connected to their care.