to find the dearly loved person named nikki. nikki pietz, wife and daughter, sister and friend. >> she seemed to be able to uplift people in ways that none of us knew how to do. >> she had a way to make you smile. she had a way to let you know that everything was going to be okay. >> gayle was her mother. >> nicki was sunshine. she was the kind of person that when she walked in a room, the room lit up. >> gayle raised nicki and her sister tanya in the suburbs of seattle. there were carefree days at the nearby lake. >> is nicki your annoying kid sister, or she pretty cool? >> she was a very annoying kid sister! mom insisted on dressing us alike. >> and high school, mia allwood says nicki was a friend to everyone. >> every day we ate lunch together.