Karen J. Nicholls (nee McKulla), 50, of Cream Ridge, passed away Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold.  Born in Baltimore, MD, she grew up in Middletown, NJ and moved to Cream Ridge 20 years ago. Karen studied at the University of Delaware and later obtained her Registered Nursing certification at Rutgers University. She was active in her community, raising ten puppies to train as guide dogs for The Seeing Eye Inc. and rescuing retired racehorses with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. She loved working with animals, adopting and caring for a wide variety through the years, in addition to being an avid horticulturist. She was vibrant and unusual, loved to laugh, and cared deeply for her family and friends; she will be very dearly missed.

Predeceased by her brother, Gregory McKulla, she is survived by her husband of 26 years, Alan Nicholls; her children, Lucy Nicholls of Paraguay, South America, where she is serving in the Peace Corps, Tom Nicholls and Charlie Nicholls, both of Boston, MA; her mother, Mary Gormley of Middletown; her father, George McKulla of Long Branch; her brother, George McKulla of St Louis, MO; her sister-in-law, Kate McKulla of Mountain Lake as well as nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are gathering at the Peppler Funeral Home, 114 South Main St., Allentown on Saturday, June 9 ^th at 10 am, with a time of remembrance to be held at 11am. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Karen's name to The Seeing Eye Inc., P.O. Box 375, Morristown, NJ 07963. (www.pepplerfh.com)