2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Nicu Niculaș was born on January 1, 1957, in the city of Câmpia Turzii, Cluj County, at the beginning of a new year, bringing joy to his parents and the hope of a better year. He was the firstborn in the family of Traian and Maria Niculaș, followed by three more brothers and a sister: Traian Marcel, Corneliu Daniel, Teofil Ovidiu, and Cristiana Maria. They were a united and loving family that attended church from an early age and accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
Being the eldest of the siblings, Nicu was an example for them, a substantial help in the house, and a reliable support for his parents.
Nicu graduated from high school in his hometown. He was about to be expelled because of his faith, but God protected him through his math teacher’s intervention. Nicu was a living testimony to his classmates and teachers who often confronted him, but knowing that God would support him in any given situation, he never backed down. By the grace of God, he was admitted to the Auto Mechanical University in Brasov. He graduated in 1983 after which he received a job in a town near Cluj-Napoca.
In 1978, he married Elvira Dancu who had been his friend for many years and with whom he had fellowship from the word of God. They had two children, Claudia and Cătălin Dan, who were a blessing and a source of joy on the road of life. In 1984, they moved to Cluj-Napoca where Nicu received a position as an engineer. He was an active member of the Iris church where he served for many years. Being involved in missionary activity, he often visited the prison in Gherla with the International Prison Fellowship organization, and he evangelized with English and American missionaries all over the country. After the collapse of communism, the 1990s were particularly fruitful years in the field of the gospel. With great passion and a burning desire to save souls, Nicu invested his time and energy in the faithful and dedicated service of his Lord and Savior.
In September 1999, he followed his family and moved to Atlanta, USA, where he lived until the end of his life. Nicu was respected and loved by his colleagues at Ciba Vision/Alcon where he worked for the last 21 years of his life.
He was an active member of First Romanian Baptist Church of Atlanta. With the same dedication that characterized him all of his life, he involved himself in the development of the church’s website which brought many blessings to all of those who wanted to watch the church services online. He did it passionately and without complaining about the immensity of the project, having only the desire to spread the gospel.
In 2013, he was diagnosed with cancer and although shocked, he trusted God. From then on, his favorite song became a Romanian one that says: “I am not from earth; I’m not from down here. My country is up there in heaven; I’m going after Jesus.” A few years of treatment followed, and he fought hard for his recovery, but the sovereign God decided to take him home. In the final months when the disease had spread all over his body, he felt that the Lord was calling him home. He said confidently that he was prepared and ready to leave, only that he was sorry for the loved ones who would be left behind. Like a shinning star, his life on this earth ended too quickly, but we rest in the promise that we will find out why when we see him again in heaven.
He is survived by his wife Ellie, his children Claudia and Cătălin with his wife Vithy, his mother Maria who mourns his untimely passing, and his siblings Marcel, Corneliu, Theo, and Christiana and their families.
We remain confident that we have an eternal home in heaven and know that we will meet Nicu there and spend eternity together.
2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”