Nicole Salvadore Hensley

Nicole—or “Nikki,” as many knew her—was born on November 4, 1968, in San Antonio, TX. The daughter of a U.S. Air Force general, her family lived in Syracuse, NY and Woodbridge, VA, and she grew up in Springfield, VA, where she excelled in swimming and diving. They then moved to Hanscom AFB, MA where, due to enrollment, she played on the boys’ soccer team before they were reassigned overseas.

She graduated from high school in Ramstein, Germany, where she was an all-star soccer player and often took day trips across Europe—skiing in the Alps or sunbathing on the beaches of Spain. She later moved back to Virginia and attended Virginia Tech, dancing for two years as a VT HighTech. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she planted roots and built a life in Texas.

Nicole began her professional career in pharmaceuticals, working in Procurement and Regulatory and Compliance at DPT Laboratories for 17 years. Shortly after starting there, she met the love of her life and best friend, Paul, in 1996. She instantly formed an unbreakable bond with sons, Parker and Mason, and Paul married in 2000. They spent Saturday mornings together at the San Antonio Botanical Center’s Children’s Vegetable Garden where their family relationships grew and blossomed.

Nicole was a fun mom who prioritized making memories. She thought of everything, crafting detailed itineraries for vacations, stocking the cooler for road trips, printing everyone’s ticket to games, and reserving front-row seats for the River Parade. She relished cooking delicious meals for them and wielded a glue gun for countless school projects. She edited papers with a keen, encouraging eye—just like her father—and was always present on the golf course or in the audience. As a wife, she brought a bright energy to galas and work functions, always by Paul’s side. She was famous for being one of the last to leave a party.

She loved lounging in the backyard pool at her “daddy’s” house for monthly family birthdays and catching up with her brother. Her favorite traditions included Spurs games, the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, Fiesta parades, annual trips to Aruba with Paul and her parents, family reunions in Arkansas, and hosting a long-running New Year’s Eve party. She also revelled in bar hopping, wine tasting, dressing up, going to concerts, and dancing with her girlfriends every week. She cherished being “Gigi” to her granddaughter, Fallon, coloring together and cavorting around the kitchen island.

Nicole left DPT and joined Aventine-Hill Partners (later acquired by Vaco), where she worked in sales and served as Regional Marketing Manager for 10 years. She was known for organizing standout company meetings and holiday celebrations.

She gave her time generously, volunteering many Saturday mornings for the church raffle, at Habitat for Humanity, for Elf Louise, as well as serving on the board of Impact San Antonio and as a member of the San Antonio Yellow Roses. A devout Catholic, she attended weekly Mass and later served as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church.

Nicole faced her illness with extraordinary grace, courage, and unwavering dignity. Even in her final years, she remained fully present for the people she loved, never losing her spark.

She will be remembered for her bright smile, boisterous laugh, sharp sense of humor, joyful dance moves, detail-oriented thoughtfulness, and deep love for her family and friends. She had a way of making people feel seen, known, and celebrated—through a warm hug at a party, a fun selfie together, a perfectly chosen dinner reservation, or her quiet ability to make any conversation feel meaningful.

Nicole is reunited in eternal peace with her beloved father, Jack Salvadore; mother, Catherine Joan Salvadore; brother, John Salvadore; grandmother, Mary “Mom Mom” Salvadore; mother-in-law, Fran Hensley; father-in-law, Maurice Hensley; brother-in-law, Hugh Walsh, along with many aunts and uncles.

She is survived by her husband, Paul Hensley; her children, Parker (Sydney) Hensley and Mason Hensley; her granddaughter, Fallon Hensley; her stepmother, Meg Salvadore; her stepbrother, Kevin (Joy) Moore; her stepsister, Kerry (Brad) Jonietz; her sisters-in-law, JoAnn Salvadore, Mary (Lee) Brown, and Mary Pat Walsh; her brother-in-law, Mark (Karen) Hensley; her nephews, Johnny Salvadore, Charlie Jonietz, and Mathew Hensley; her nieces, Elizabeth and Evelyn Jonietz, Addison, Ellie, and Kinsley Moore, and Sarah Hensley; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends from the East Coast to Texas.

Visitation will be held on August 7, 2025, at Porter Loring Mortuary North, 2102 N Loop 1604 E, San Antonio, TX 78232, from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by a rosary at 7 p.m.

A Memorial Mass will be held on August 8, 2025, at 10 a.m. at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1602 Thousand Oaks Drive, San Antonio, TX 78232. Committal will follow at the Archdiocese of San Antonio – Holy Cross Cemetery, 17501 Nacogdoches Rd, San Antonio, TX 78266. Refreshments and a light lunch will be served back at the church immediately following.

Please find more information on Nicole’s Celebration of Life at https://everloved.com/life-of/nicole-hensley/

In her honor, the family encourages you to attend Mass, raise a glass, or make a donation to her Memory Fund with the Leptomeningeal Cancer Foundation at https://lmcancer.org/nicole-hensley. She also enjoyed hosting the Trinity University Bengal Lancers at her home, and a contribution to their scholarship fund can be made at https://www.bengallanceralumni.org/.