Nicole Lyn Atteberry

Nicole was raised in Knoxville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and was a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. After college, she devoted her professional life to wildlife, working as the Curator of Ectotherms at the Miami Zoo since 2009. For Nicole, caring for animals was never simply a job. It was a calling and the greatest passion of her life. She was internationally renowned and respected for her work.

She was especially passionate about reptiles and became a tireless advocate for their conservation. Nicole had a remarkable ability to appreciate animals that were often misunderstood or overlooked. She believed they deserved respect, protection, and someone willing to speak on their behalf. She helped other people understand their importance and place in the world.

Those who knew Nicole also knew her wonderful sense of humor. She had a gift for finding the absurdity in life's unexpected moments and could look back on even serious or crazy interactions and laugh about them later. She collected stories, and her ability to tell them-with just the right amount of humor-was part of what made her so memorable.

Nicole loved to read and was an enthusiastic fan of Stephen King's work. She also adored her cats: Catticus Finch, Mushroom and Pawl, and liked sharing their personalities and antics with others.

Her animals were family, and she took comfort in the companionship they brought her.

Nicole is survived by her father, Robert Atteberry, and stepmother, Gwen; her sister, Tiffany Atteberry, and Tiffany's husband, Scott Brown; and her stepsister, Michelle Garland and her family. As well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Nicole's life, like all lives, contained both joy and difficult seasons. Some of her struggles were known only to her. Those who loved her are left with the sorrow of wishing they could have helped carry what she carried alone. Her death is a heartbreaking reminder that sometimes the people we love most are carrying burdens we cannot see. However, she leaves behind memories, stories, laughter, and the imprint of a woman who cared deeply about the creatures she loved. She spent her life giving a voice to animals that could not speak for themselves. She found humor in the strange turns life could take, comfort in a good book, joy in her cats, and purpose in caring for the natural world.

Nicole will be deeply missed and forever remembered by those who had the privilege of knowing and loving her.

A celebration of life will be conducted at a later time. Donations can be made in lieu of flowers to international lquana Foundation: Contribute - International Iguana Foundation https:// share.google/BlcfSOqr7uboWzLJ8