April 6, 2026

Nicole “Nikki” Rene Riva Carlson, 52, of Kennett Square, died unexpectedly after a tragic accident on Thursday, March 26, in St. Louis, Mo. Born in Milwaukee, Wisc., she was the daughter of Joseph Reneau and Linda Riva Mulhollon.

Nikki graduated from Brown Deer High School in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, in 1992, where she was the Wisconsin state champion diver for her sophomore, junior, and senior years and a four-year varsity cheerleader.

While in high school, she was recruited to dive at the University of Wisconsin, but instead opted to enroll in the United States Military Academy at West Point. There, she majored in Political Geography and was captain of the varsity cheerleading team, cheering on her fellow cadets at every football game. She graduated from West Point in 1996.

Nikki served for 5 years at Fort Lee, Va., and Fort Bragg, NC, in the Quartermaster Corps of the US Army. While in the Army, she earned the Air Assault, Airborne, and Rigger badges and trained at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La. As a Rigger, she learned to pack and jump her own parachutes. She also served as Officer in Charge of the Fort Bragg repair parts warehouse. After her military service, she dedicated herself to her career and her family.

Over the years, Nikki worked for several different companies in a number of professional and project management roles. These included PepsiCo in Richmond, Va; Lutron Electronics in Allentown, Pa; VWR (Avantor) in Malvern, Pa; and DuPont in Wilmington, Del. During these years, she earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. From 2007 to 2014, she stepped away from her career to focus on her most cherished role as a stay-at-home mother to her daughters, Alyssa and Courtney.

In her spare time, Nikki enjoyed baking of all kinds, especially decorating and making fancy cakes for the neighborhood kids’ birthdays. She was an avid runner and reader, and a member of the Kennett Square Running Club and Willowdale Chapel women’s book club. Nikki volunteered for track and helped out with Pasta Nights for the team. Nikki had many beloved friends and enjoyed going on great long walks with them or out for coffee.

Nikki was the kind of woman whose strength didn’t need to be announced, as it was felt in every hug, every word of encouragement, every sacrifice made quietly for the sake of her daughters. She poured her whole heart into raising Alyssa and Courtney, teaching them to stand tall, be brave, and love fiercely, just as she did. Though she is no longer here to hold their hands, her spirit wraps around them still, living in the courage, kindness, and resilience she nurtured in them every day of her life.

Nikki is survived by her parents, Joseph Reneau (Dorise) and Linda Riva Mulhollon; her daughters, Alyssa N. Carlson and Courtney E. Carlson; the father of her girls, Bradley B. Carlson; her siblings, Michael Mulhollon, Jonathan Reneau, and Kirsten Reneau Metivier (Eddison); her stepfather, Gary Mulhollon; and many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

You are invited to visit with Nicole’s family and friends from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 10, at Willowdale Chapel, 675 Unionville Road, Kennett Square. Her life celebration service will begin at noon. Nikki will be laid to rest privately with honors at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Newtown, PA.

To see how you can help support the Carlson family, please visit: www.mealtrain.com/trains/Carlson

Arrangements are by Matthew Grieco of Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. (484-734-8100) of Kennett Square. To view her online tribute, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.