Nate Hershel Nordine

He is survived first and foremost by his parents, Leo and Molly Nordine, whose shared world became a brighter, more expansive place when "N8" was born on October 29, 2001. From them he inherited an adventurous spirit and a soft, gentle spirit - qualities that drew people to him every day of his life and beyond. Nate was a precocious child who excelled both academically and in such extracurricular activities as aerial silks, a rare skill that saw him performing nationwide with Cirque de la Symphonie by the time he was a mere 11 years old. As naturally gifted as he was devoted to improving his craft, Nate's preternatural abilities were quite literally awe-inspiring. He was also fiercely intellectual, with early childhood fixations on heavy machinery and deep-sea creatures eventually giving way to a fascination with Russian language (which he could both read and speak fluently) and culture. His educational pursuits brought him to such far-flung locations as Massachusetts, Russia, and Monaco.

Nate was the youngest member of his family, but that was far from the only superlative that applied to him. He is also survived by older siblings Heidi, Ashlee, and Michael; aunts Megan, Sue, and Nan; uncles Brendan and Kevin; stepmother Glynis; and a bevy of cousins and other extended family members still processing his loss and attempting to imagine a world without his vibrant presence. It's sometimes said that the stars that burn brightest only burn half as long, but Nate provided so much light that the rest of us will be standing in it for a long time to come.