Friends Celebrate Penn Hills, PA Medic/FF Nicholas Theofilis Killed in Nov. Ambulance Crash

Michael DiVittorio

The Tribune-Review, Greensburg

(TNS)

Jan. 31—Friends and family of Penn Hills native Nick Theofilis gathered at one of his favorite watering holes for a celebration of his life.

An estimated 400 people stopped by Carnivores in Oakmont for a "Nite For Nick," which was organized by longtime friend Katie Shimko.

Laughter and joy filled the air. Some attendees shed tears and raised glasses in memory of their late friend on Friday.

"We got a good turnout for Nick," Shimko said. "I was expecting a lot of people, but not this much. I'm shocked. And it just shows you how many lives he impacted and touched.

"He's jealous he's not here. He is looking down on us like, 'Oh my gawd — I told you I knew everybody. Look at all these people here, and I can't talk to anybody and I'm so mad.' He loved coming down here (and) hanging out on a Friday night."

Tragic day

Theofilis, a Penn Hills EMS paramedic and volunteer firefighter at Penn Hills' Rosedale Fire Department, died Nov. 27 while on duty driving an ambulance in Pittsburgh.

Theofilis was driving at the intersection of Fifth and Morewood avenues in Pittsburgh shortly after 11 p.m. when it and another vehicle collided.

Penn Hills EMS Supervisor Diane Fitzhenry said Theofilis died of blunt force trauma resulting in a traumatic cardiac arrest secondary to a motor vehicle crash.

There was no patient in the ambulance at the time, but Theofilis had a front-seat passenger.

Neither the passenger, whose name was not released, nor the driver of the other vehicle, were seriously injured.

Celebration of life

Nick's Nite took place a day after what would have been his 24th birthday.

Activities kicked off around 6 p.m.

From that time to close, 20% of food and drink sales were donated to his family, along with proceeds from gift baskets and other raffles.

A little less than $8,000 was raised by the end of the night.

There were balloons spread about the bar. The family had a special table with cupcakes donated by Oakmont Bakery and Sam's Club.

Nick's parents, Lori and Peter Theofilis, said they were overwhelmed by everyone's support and love for their son.

"I have found that when I see friends that I haven't seen since the funeral it does help me out," Lori Theofilis said about the gathering. "It's almost like I know they're OK so I can be OK.

"He was never a little kid. He was an adult in a little kid body. He had a presence about him and he could relate to adults. We always used to tease that he had more adult friends than we did."

Lori Theofilis recalled her son going out for ride-alongs in a Penn Hills ambulance as a teenager and fostering a desire to be in the medical field while going to school.

Peter Theofilis said Nick had a knack for making friends no matter a person's status.

"His greatest talent was knowing who the most important person was in a room, and going up and introducing himself and becoming friends with them," Peter Theofilis said. "It's amazing the people he got to know just by having the balls to go up and talk to them. I could never do that in my life. I was shy.

"The most extroverted person you would ever know. He didn't get it from me. ... We would go to the beach and he would spend each day with a different family on their towel and come back to us that evening. Just an amazing personality."

The family put on a happy face while at times fighting back tears.

"I feel the grieving is going to come after when all this crashes," Peter Theofilis said. "Two, three weeks from now, when we're not surrounded by loved ones, I fear it's going to crash."

Nick's firefighter jacket and hat were placed at his favorite spot at Carnivores, a corner bar seat near the kitchen. A shot of tequila with lime was placed next to a white card with tiny hearts with the message "We Love You Nick."

There was a small plaque in memory of Theofilis to the left of the chair. Its inscription: "A Caring Friend to All."

Nick's brother, Max Theofilis, sat to the right of the chair during the event.

"It's almost like he hasn't left," Max said. "This environment embodies his personality. It feels very much like he's still here. I walked in here thinking to myself, Nick should be here. This is the type of thing he'd want to be at.

Several attendees patted Max on the back, gave hugs and condolences. Many at the bar said great things about the family.

"It shows how important he was," Max Theofilis said. "It shows how many people cared for him and makes me feel like he didn't die in vain."

The Rosedale Beach Club gave the family a fallen first responders flag, also called an angel flag. Theofilis served as a lifeguard for several summers at the Penn Hills pool.

Mary Chirdon, co-treasurer of the beach club, helped manage the 45 gift baskets during the event.

"Nick did everything for everybody, so it's only right that I can give a little bit of my time," Chirdon said. "Look how many people are here to celebrate Nick. That's what it's all about. Always a giving young man, dependable and willing to do whatever it took. He always led the lifeguards in training and he led by example.

"If you needed something done, you could go to Nick to get it done."

Chirdon said the club plans to dedicate a lifeguard chair in Theofilis' memory the Friday before Memorial Day.

Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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