Kristy described her husband’s natural magnetism, which always drew students to him. “I got a couple calls today that some of the students are upset,” said Kristy. “I have a lot of Facebook messages that kids are devastated. They feel like they lost their best friend. That’s how Travis was — people wanted to be with him, hang out with him. He could bring out the best. He could make the kids feel comfortable and safe, they would flock to him.”
That inherent trait is what Kristy misses the very most above all so far, she said. “He was my best friend,” Kristy said. “I miss the time I had with him the most. He could just sense whatever mood or feeling I had and fix every problem. He could pick up on things so fast, like feelings and emotions. He could talk me down when I was upset. Calm me down when I was upset. He was my best friend.”
‘Million-dollar smile’
Greg Pettinato, manager of an ophthalmologic pharmaceutical company was raised side-by-side with the gregarious Nissen as brothers from the age of 7. He said this week that people, upon meeting Travis, first noticed Nissen’s “million-dollar smile.”
“He had a great sense of humor and was very outgoing,” said Pettinato. “He liked to joke around and was a wise guy. You can tell how many people he has touched by the amount of attention that he has drawn in the media, social media, phone calls, visitors. There are multiple YouTube videos with slide-show photos and people adding text. One was done by his sister in-law. One was done by a student he impacted at Miller.”
Pettinato said Nissen’s sports ability and talents were exceptional, ranging from fishing and hunting to golf and baseball. “Everything [Nissen] did, he was good at. Everything.” Pettinato pointed to Nissen’s sports records as the multiple-time MVP for both baseball and golf at Onteora High School, from where Nissen graduated in 2002. “The record for the lowest golf round and best scores are held by both Travis and his younger brother Kyle at Onteora,” said Pettinato. “He really inspired Kyle to play, also to hunt and fish.”
Pettinato said that Nissen expressed interest in being a police officer for as long as he could remember. Nissen graduated from Ulster County Community College in 2005 and was “Top Gun” at the police academy. He also played on softball teams in Olive and Rosendale.
Pettinato agrees that everyone, everyone was drawn to Nissen. “He just had a way of communicating and touching people. He wasn’t the loudest guy in the room, but he could connect with anybody, whether it was kids or colleagues. I know he loved working with kids. He could communicate with everyone.”
‘A great kid’
Pettinato’s father, owner of Al’s Restaurant in Phoenicia, was known to Nissen as “Uncle Paul” Pettinato. “We spent a lot of time together,” said Paul. “He was a great kid. The things he loved were sports, he was a great golfer, and he loved to fish and hunt. As long as he had a fishing pole, golf club or a baseball ball bat in his hand he was happy. He excelled in every sport. He was one of the top golf players in the county — he played at Wiltwyck Country Club.”
Paul Pettinato also testified to Travis Nissen’s charisma. “There was no one that didn’t like him. He was one of those people who when you met him, you instantly loved him.” Paul sympathized deeply for Nissen’s mother being forced to bury her own son.
“The members of the Ulster Police Department will remember Officer Nissen for his warm smile, his love for the outdoors and his even greater love for the students which he was entrusted to protect. He will never be forgotten,” said Town of Ulster Police Chief Matthew Taggard in a statement.
