Nikolas Jiruska

NIKOLAS "NIK" JIRUSKA

Cedar Rapids

Nikolas "Nik" Jiruska, 23, of Cedar Rapids, passed away early on May 30, 2016, at his home, surrounded by his loving family. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 4, at 11 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at 1285 Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403. A celebration of life will be held at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library on Saturday, June 4, from 6 to 10 p.m. Stories will be shared and laughter will be had.

Nik was born Aug. 17, 1992, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to proud parents Rodney and Susan Jiruska. He graduated from Xavier High School in 2011. Nik was completing his senior year at the University of Iowa, pursuing a degree in finance and accounting, and was a scholar of the Hawkinson Institute of Business Finance. He was an active member of the fraternity Phi Delta Theta and the business fraternity Beta Gamma Sigma.

Nik gained working experience assisting in real estate management for Jiruska Enterprises, followed by a job transporting fellow students as a Cambus driver at the University of Iowa. Before his diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma, he had accepted an internship at Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC).

On July 27, 2015, he married his high school sweetheart, Moleigh Ryther, at Cedar Ridge Winery surrounded by family. A highlight of Nik's life was the time they spent in Maui, Hawaii, on their honeymoon. Their family expanded with the adoption of their special dog, Maple. If Maple could talk, she would tell you how good of a dad Nik was to her. He enjoyed taking Maple to the Iowa City Thornberry dog park with Moleigh and speaking to Maple in his coined high-pitched tone.

Nik loved traveling and seeing the beauty of the world. As a young child, Nik spent many days in Florida on the beach with his family. During high school he spent time in Mexico for spring break with friends and in Prague with his father visiting the homeland of their ancestry. During college he took a winter break class in London, England. Nik and Moleigh traveled to many places together, including Italy, Spain and Croatia, and spent New Year's Eve 2015 in Quebec City, Canada.

Nik loved food – whether it was cooking extravagant meals at home for Moleigh or visiting their favorite locations, such as Graze, Formosa, Genghis Grill or Yotopia. Nik loved to shop and had a very polished style – investing in the best J. Crew wardrobe known to man. Friends and family enjoyed being around Nik because he was very witty and could deliver quite the one-liner. He had an appreciation for listening to oldies tunes, playing video games (Fallout), binge-watching Netflix series ("Dexter," "Breaking Bad," "Parks & Rec," "Sons of Anarchy" and "Justified") and loyally watching "Wheel of Fortune" every night with his mom or Moleigh.

Nik is survived by his wife, Moleigh; his mother, Susan; his father, Rodney; and his beloved dog, Maple.

He was greeted at the gates of heaven by his paternal grandparents, Ray and Jeanne Jiruska; his maternal grandparents, Jean and Boyd Wiltsey; and his many dog siblings, Wishbone, JD, Maggie, St. Pauli Girl and Dortmunder.

The family would like to thank Iowa City Hospice, Dr. Mohammed "Mo" Milhem, and all of the staff at the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center for their compassion and support during his hard-fought battle.

Memorials may be directed to the Courage Ride, designated for Team Nik (website: www.courageride.org/donate or mailing address: Seth A. Bailey Courage Group, PO Box 866, Iowa City, IA 52244) which benefits sarcoma research at the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.cedarmemorial.com under Obituaries.