Nicole Paquette, CFSP, CPC, specializes in assisting families plan ahead. She was born the youngest of nine children, to parents who were both registered nurses and owned a convalescent home in Rhode Island. While working there as a Certified Medical Technician, Nicole had her first curious thoughts to become a funeral director and embalmer. 

Nicole first attended Rhode Island College in Providence before transferring to the New England Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences at Mt. Ida College, Newton, MA. Graduating magna cum laude, she obtained her mortuary degree during the Spring of 1993. Upon successful completion of her apprenticeship in Greenwich and Stamford, Nicole has been a licensed funeral director/embalmer in Connecticut since 1995. Shortly thereafter, she served an additional apprenticeship in Rhode Island and obtained licensure there.

Ms. Paquette is nationally recognized as both a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP) since 2004, and a Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC) since 2005. She is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). 

Nicole is a member and serves on the Board of Directors at the historic Stanley-Whitman House in Farmington. She volunteers in tending to their 17th and 18th century dooryard gardens, and helps with tours. 

Since early 2024, she has been a member of the Ye Olde Lebanon Towne Militia (CT), an American Revolutionary War-era reenactment group of men, women, and children. At events and encampments with educational demonstrations (“demos”), she portrays a “layer out of the dead”. This was a role that colonial women, particularly widows, could perform and receive compensation for. Nicole has been trained in artillery and enjoys being a part of the cannon crew in the portrayal of Molly Pitcher.

Nicole lives in Bristol with her two children and is a member of St. Matthew Catholic Church. She enjoys traveling and touring historical sites steeped in American Civil War-era and Revolutionary War-era histories. Reading, solving logic puzzles, cooking, baking, sewing petticoats, and pulling weeds from her raised garden beds during the summer months are some of her pastimes.