Martin Nicolai Nielsen, MD

Martin Nicolai Nielsen MD passed away, surrounded by his family, in his home on Wednesday, August 9th after a 14th month struggle with Amyloidosis. Nicolai was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and he immigrated as a young boy with his mother to the United States. As a growing man with an inextinguishable curiosity, he became a pilot, he was a diver and a member of the Explorers Club, and he studied photography for a year at New York University. By his late 20s, Nicolai supported himself, as a classical guitarist, through his studies at Farleigh Dickinson, The University of Pennsylvania, and Yale to become a psychiatrist. Nicolai was recruited to develop the Newton Memorial Hospital Center for Mental Health, which became a nationally acclaimed mental health center due to its quality care. He was past president of the New Jersey Psychiatric Association and worked at Saint Clare's Hospital for 20 years. Nicolai was the son of Ellen Jacobson and Victor Nielsen. He is survived by his beloved wife, Kathleen, by his daughter, Brittney, whom everyone knows he adored. He is also survived by his sisters, Maiken Tadeushuk-Nielsen and Ditte Greenberg-Nielsen, his 5 nieces and nephews, and cherished friends and family. Nicolai is said to have had "thirteen lives" because he outsmarted Waldenstrom's cancer and Amyloidosis several times before his passing. A memorial service for Nicolai will be held this Sunday, August 13th from 12-3 PM at the Lake Mohawk Country Club. Because Nicolai always believed as a psychiatrist that there will be a cure for Alzheimer's Disease, memorial contributions are being accepted in Nicolai's name to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's. Arrangements are entrusted to Goble Funeral Home. See: www.goblefuneral.com.