Hi Greggo.
Some days are “easier” than others and then there’s days where I become overwhelm with emotions and just sit and cry.. today is one of those days. It still doesn’t feel like you’re gone.. whenever I drive home and I see someone jogging I look to see if it’s you and it hits me that it can’t be. Or when I walk into the house I look at your recliner and expect to see you sitting there with milo with your glasses on either reading the newspaper if it’s morning time or your laptop if it’s later in the day. It just hurts trying to go about “every day” life and realize you’re not apart of that anymore when it feels like you should be and forget you can’t be. Mom said “that’s excellent” today and I heard it in your voice and saw your smile you do after you say that phrase and I lost it.. it just doesn’t feel real. Buddha baby and I miss you so very much and you’ll be disappointed to hear she’s actually growing hair although I can still hear you saying “look at that bald baby”. I just wish you were here. I wish our family was whole again. Until we meet again. We love you ❤️

 I couldn't bring myself to write anything until now. I honestly don't even know where to start. I had so many little memories with my dad, but here are some of my favorites...
-We used to play all types of sports outside, but my personal favorite to play with him was basketball. We played countless games of HORSE(or as we called it MILO or MARGO). We also used to play volleyball and I remember him always complaining about how bad the ball hurt his arms hahaha. Swimming, tennis, handball against the garage...the list could go on.
-Another one of my favorites was when Shiraz and I used to come to his work at Tri-City. We would sneak up behind him while he was reading his X-rays and try to scare him(I'm almost positive we never succeeded). After, we would go get lunch in the hospital(with the AMAZING curly fries with HEINZ ketchup of course).
I just miss him man! I think about him every single day. I miss his "good morning! have a great day texts" and his big hugs. I miss his lame dad jokes and his clean smell. I always seem to find myself stressing out about stupid stuff like school and the one person who could calm me down was my dad. I knew that no matter what happened he would always be proud of me. I'm trying to think of the positives, but the only thing I can think about is how I won't have my dad to see me graduate, walk me down the aisle, or see me start a family. I could write forever about him and all of the hilarious memories we had...
A message to my dad,
Dad I love you and miss you more than ever. Its been REALLY hard and I still don't understand why you had to leave. I wish we could just go back in time and grab some Wings N Things or Oscars. I would do anything to just give you one more hug. You were my light dad and I can't stop thinking about you. I know you hate seeing me like this, but I want you to know that I'm trying to get better and I will ALWAYS be your little girl. I love you daddio.
-Pardese(aka P-diddle, Padees, your little girl)
 


One last story that has nothing to do with radiology and may have been Greg's greatest athletic moment.  It must have been around 2004.  We were playing in the Tri-City Annual Golf  'Fore' Your Heart scramble.  The format was best ball and each team had a pro.  Our team was so bad, we essentially took the pro's shot every time.  There was a long par 5 at Shadowridge, and of course, the pro got us on the green in 2.  However, it had to be about a 60 foot putt for eagle.  We were just hoping to get close and have a shot at birdie.  The putt was so long it had not one, but two huge breaks in it.  Almost impossible to judge, but of course we still spent about 5 minutes assessing things.  Greg was up first, and we were just hoping he showed us the break.  He took a whack at it, and my immediate comment was "too hard".   Well, the ball went up the first incline taking some speed off and directing it back on path toward the second break.  As it charged up the second hill, it lost a good deal of speed and then came rolling back down now gradually curving toward the cup.  Our chants of "get it close" crescendoed into  "go in the hole!"  When the ball dropped in the cup, you would have thought we had just won the Masters, a bunch of dorky radiologists jumping around, fist pumping, and high fiving like we owned the place.  Due to  our cumulatively high handicap, a hot pro, and crazy putts like that one, we ended up winning the tournament that year! Bravo Greg Nicpon!

Part 3:
He loved everything MN.  He once said that he would move there in a second if it wasn’t for those other 8 months out of the year.  He loved traveling and food.  We have expense accounts that we either use or lose.  Well, he was highly skilled at squeezing every last penny out of his expense account and finding “medical conferences” in exotic locations with 5 start accommodations and Michelin rated restaurants.  

Probably the thing I WILL REMEMBER AND MISS most about Greg will be his smile, his sarcastic wit, and his infectious laugh.  He would always greet you with that Cheshire smirk often followed by some clever remark.  Oh, and that laugh.  Half the time, the joke or story wasn’t even funny, but the laugh was so contagious you soon found yourself roaring right along with him, even in a BOD meeting.  When you look up JOVIAL in the dictionary, you will see a picture of Greg Nicpon right next to the word.  He had a knack for making people feel better.  Whether it was a witty one liner or a spot-on impression of a fellow physician, he was just a blast to work with and be around.  He saw humor in the most difficult of situations, not because he didn’t care, but because he was trying to cheer up the room.  I’m sure he is here right now making fun of this speech and wondering why Miller won’t shut up. 

This is all too sudden.  I am really going to miss him, and I know his family and loved ones are going to miss him dearly.  I think he would tell us not to worry about him, and he’ll see us all again someday.  He’s in God’s hands now.  The one thing HE WOULD WANT FOR ALL OF US is to go out there and suck every last drop out of THIS life!



Part 2:

Greg really was only in the infancy of his leadership days.  I remember talking with Greg a few years back about the possibility of being President of the group.  I said, “a lot of people want you to be president, do you really want to do it?”  His reply was “Yes, I really want to do it and I can put in the time.”  That was his humble way of saying he would do the job well.  He didn’t want to be president because of ego or another bullet on his CV.  He did it because he felt he could help the group.  His leadership style was low-key and unassuming yet effective. He was a listener first and speaker second.   He was the glue that held a lot of different interests in the group together.  

His lasting legacy as President of the group will be one of taking the group from a bunch of workaholics to a much better work/life balance.  He pushed for a more humane workweek and less call which entailed hiring more radiologists and taking less pay.  I was in the minority and disagreed with him on this policy.  I can see now, only after his death, that he was right. Time away from work is at least as important as the work itself.  There was a dichotomy to Greg’s life.  As much as he cared about San Diego Imaging and as much time as he devoted to radiology, and leadership, he was also all about sucking every last drop out of life.  His time with his wife, kids, parents and the rest of the family was SO VERY important to him.  

Just an aside, there are 3 types of people in this world.  Those that say the glass is half empty, those that say the glass is half full, and those like Greg who say, “Look there’s a dog.”  Yes, his dogs were family too.  


I just wanted to share what I said at Greg's funeral for those who couldn't make it.  Part 1

I can’t understand his death, but there is a great deal of meaning and purpose in how my friend Dr. Greg Nicpon lived his life.  

Roughly 18 years ago, I was in my first year of full-time work for North County Radiology and heard they were hiring this guy who did his residency and body imaging fellowship at Stanford.  I must admit, I was a little intimidated.  I feared he was going to be this academic, pretentious, know-it-all who would be a pain in the ARSE to work with.  But after meeting Greg, I realized nothing could be further from the truth.  Yes, sure he was brilliant.  One of the smartest physicians I’ve known.  But he was so down to earth, a fellow small-town Midwesterner, we shared the same values and work ethic.  He was the ultimate workhorse and team player, the guy everyone wanted to work with.   About the only flaw I could see was that he was a Vikings fan.  Seriously, he was selfless and SO INCREDIBLY HUMBLE.  His humility is something that will really stick with me.  He did our group schedule and I now realize the enormous amount of work he put into that for essentially no reward.  Christine told me last week he would spend hours and hours every month working on the schedule. He was the king of multitasking.  He made everything look so easy.  We should have called him THE BIG EASY! Yet he never blew his own horn and didn’t complain about all this personal sacrifice.   I have worked with many great radiologists, but I don’t think I have ever known one that was more of a complete package than Greg Nicpon.  He was intellectually gifted, efficient, personable, caring, and a natural leader.  And he did all of this with tunes blaring in the background.  Greg was a music junky and couldn’t work in a reading room without a stereo!



Greg was unique in his brilliance, good nature, patience and leadership. I so much enjoyed working along side him; you knew it was going to be a good day when he was in the reading room with you.  I even liked texting him to ask for a specific day off and we would make up different honorifics like, “Dear Presidente, would you please give me Wednesday off.  I promise I will spit shine your shoes. I will never ask for another day off ever again. Your humble servant.” He would respond with something like, mimicking Trump, “your wish is granted. I would like you to do us a favor, though…”.  I’m going to miss that ritual.  He had a great sense of humor and to me that’s  the most important thing to get through the day and life.  We would share a laugh and a grunt as the radiology work list would ebb and flow.  It wasn’t hard to see he was the better man: good looking, hard working, smart and fast as could be, dealt with stressful situations, build consensus, placate any unreasonably irate referring physician.  It was a miracle to behold how he operated.  He was Mozart to my Salieri.  You could learn a lot being around Greg, but you could never replicate him-impossible.  I’m just glad I got to know him and will miss him greatly.

Greg was my friend for 7 years.  Sure, we worked together, but in the course doing “the stuff” we became great friends.  We shared events of our lives and families together.  Greg had a way of summing up complex issues in short phrases, using words you would never hear in the same sentence from anyone else.  I would explain the issues in paragraphs, and he would reply with something like, “So, you are saying it’s like sorting bitcoin with the foam finger you get at a Vikings game.”  I would think for a bit, and then admit, “yes, it is exactly like that”.  His comebacks were particularly funny when describing the absurd.  It usually only took two or three words.  Many were highly inappropriate to repeat.  I loved those.  Greg hated long administrative meetings.  His leg would bounce as he looked at his phone.  During one meeting, he whispered to me, “I feel like we have been here so long that I should apply for Social Security.”  Outside of those meetings, Greg was one of the most fun-loving guys I have every met.  He helped me to be a little less serious.  I am a better man because Greg was my friend.  I miss him.  Whenever something absurd happens, I think I will always wonder, “what would Greg say about that”?

My memory of Greg was his smile and those big eyes. Everytime I'd visit my grandson Greg always made me feel welcomed. "Hi Greg! How are you?" It was always a short convo. But, meaningful...Greg is "Poppy" to my grandson and he was an inspiration to my son "Tommy Woo." A loving man with a humble heart is what Im told. I believe it! May you fly high Humble Soul! Watch over your beautiful family💞 

Greg was always so relaxed and funny. He had this gentle demeanor about him where you could talk to him about anything (serious or not) and he’d find a way to infuse a subtle, underlying laughter throughout the whole conversation. 

He also had this vocal tone that was soothing and easing — his voice was comforting to hear. Greg was a great conversationist who you could sit with for hours; his body language was uplifting and eye contact genuine so naturally I always looked forward to talking with my cousin. One thing I reflect upon now, when I think of talking with Greg, was that he never started a conversation by talking about himself — you had to inquire about him because he could be a little shy (which I loved). Thinking about our conversations throughout his lifetime I recognize now that I’ve been mirroring his conversational attributes throughout my teenage years and to this day as a grown man. 

The thing about Greg that I’ll always admire was that he never had a bad thing to say or complain about. He was a nonchalant optimist. He was soft-spoken, and undoubtedly comfortable and confident in who he was as a human being. No matter what the subject matter was he listened more than he spoke and when he said something it was undeniably on-point without being matter of fact. He asked more questions than he did indulge in explanations of his own viewpoints — he was extremely selfless in giving you his full attention.

When I think about Greg, I immediately smirk and call to memory his laugh. If you’ve been around my Dad or Uncle Norb you know the laugh I’m talking about. Also, his smile — so natural and gentle (regularly accommodated by a head nod, rocking back and forth in his seat); complimented by his kind eyes. Greg was simply a dream boat of a guy. 

As a small boy I remember him being so relaxed. I have this vivid memory of being at Norb and Auntie Rita’s house and Greg was home from school and his girlfriend at the time

Greg was just cool like that and people gravitated to him. Greg was insanely smart, a hard worker, a tremendous showcase of a son, a brother, an older cousin a husband and a father. Greg had an ethos about him that was so inviting that you couldn’t help but wait in anticipation for him to say something, anything, because he was admirable and undeniably full of wisdom and knowledge on an extremely macro and micro level of all things to consider and be cognizant of in life. His wisdom, though, I aspire to acquire as I grow in this life — I could sure use some of that wisdom now, Greg. 

His presence even from afar was comfortable, cool and relaxed. Unfortunately, his golf swing was not.

Greg said less and meant more. If there’s something that I’ve always admired about Greg, it’s his hair and his ability to make being happy seem absolutely effortless. 

As I embark on my journey as a Nicpon, I find myself reflecting on Greg’s characteristics and how much I adored how he was as a person —I’ve grown to mirror and emulate those qualities in myself because I’m a Nicpon and that’s how we do — we work for everything we want and we work with all of the love and determination we have within ourselves and for those around us.

Sitting here, I can’t help but reflect on those times when I was young and growing and learning (as I’m still doing today) and how lucky I am to have had such an amazing cousin like Greg — a role model for the good life ahead of me.

Our family may lack Greg’s physical presence in the day’s ahead, but I know that Greg’s with me and he’s with all of us. I’ll forever strive to be myself — a person with more to give and provide for others than to withhold for self. I hope to live this life in bliss, to love myself within and share my life with those around me the way Greg did with all of us. 

I promise to look after your sweet girls and the kids, Christine, Mark and Sharon, your Mom and Dad + the chicken out in the backyard.

Look after us and visit often, Cousin. 

Love,
Brad

I am very saddened to hear of Greg's passing. My heart goes out to you.  A few great memories we had together

- rotten fruit and vegetable "baseball" in the back room, using a piece of broken pallet as a bat. Man, did he have a sweet   swing...but,I threw an almost unhittable fastball with tomatoes and peaches, with occasional "chin music" to keep him honest
- hanging his apron up in the rafters after retiring from the store
- "bowling" with frozen turkeys and pineapples in the meat aisle
- grilling burgers at 2am at 2608. 2 minutes per side max. 
- devouring a large Davanni's deep dish works pizza in 7 minutes flat, then regretting it for the next 4 hours
- grilling prime T Bones with the best Persian street corn you can ever have. (Still remarkable today)
- treading water for hours on Lake Minnetonka
- playing cards til all hours
- eating wings with Wilbur, Big Shooter, Pooh Bear and Big Waun
- golfing with everyone, especially with Norb involved. The banter was never ending. We should have filmed it. We would be YouTube Billionaires today. 
- Vegas golf
- "hit it high to high" tee the ball high, to hit the ball high
- "the woods are full of long drivers"
- "slow play is the cancer of golf"
- "never up, never in"
- "hit a stump!" Wilbur's dad when he overpowered a putt by 10 feet
- scribbling DNF on the scorecard, during the middle of a lousy round. 
One final story. We were playing a high end golf course in San Jose. As we entered the pro shop, the personnel proceeded to look down on us, in a condescending fashion.  What are these kids doing in here they thought. They don't belong here. As we were paying at the counter, the clerk handed us our cart key. 
It was #17. 
In an instant Greg deadpanned, " number 17? Great! I always play better with prime numbers" I went into immediate hysterics, falling on the floor, laughing and hyperventilating.  The clerk was clueless. 
May the Lord bless and keep you. Stu



My name is Andrea Kujak Bove.  I have known the Nicpon Family for a very long time.  My dad Ron and Norb have been life long friends.  Greg's parents are my brother's godparents.  Grew up with Mark and Greg as children when they lived here in Chicago.  I have very fond memories of our kids get togethers when my parents and the Nicpon's.  Although I have not seen Norb, Rita, Mark or Greg in quite some time my family would always hear news about the Nicpon's when our parents spoke.  Today when I heard about Greg's passing it took my breath away.  To the entire Nicpon family,  I am so very sorry to hear about Greg's passing.  My prayers and thoughts are with you at this very difficult time.

What beautiful family pictures!  It was such a pleasure to meet and talk with Greg at the Nicpon family reunions.  What a wonderful man!  I'm deeply sorry for your loss.  Please know we are praying for comfort and strength for the entire Nicpon family during this difficult time.  Our hearts are with you.

This one hit hard Greg! Thank you for being real! A true friend besides a huge role model! I hope thru my work how much I respected your leadership! Lost a great man! See you on the other side! May God Bless you and your family during their healing process. 

OBITUARY

Gregory Karl Nicpon

July 29, 1969 – December 31, 2019

Eternal Hills Mortuary & Crematory at Eternal Hills Memorial Park

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