Nicholas Griffin Lombardi

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved son and brother, Nicholas Griffin Lombardi. Through his journey of 35 years, Nick lived a life “on mission”. He was a deep seeker of God, truth, and spiritual connection with others. Nick’s legacy and impact is vast.

 

Nicholas was born on October 23, 1990, to Patricia and Thomas Lombardi in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he grew up, primarily in the northern suburbs. He was a tenderhearted child with a characteristically keen sense of observation and curiosity. The second oldest of four children, Nick was only fourteen months younger than his brother, Andrew, his lifelong best friend. He was very close to his younger brother, Caleb, and he adored his little sister, Lydia. Nicholas was a talented athlete playing basketball, football, and lacrosse during his grade school years. He was also a gifted musician. He spent much of his high school years with Andrew writing songs, playing shows as a drummer and vocalist, and recording music with several bands, Subcolour, Debtor, and New Tradition.

 

Nick had a radical faith journey that began as a young teenager. His walk with God informed his entire life, including the decision to complete his senior year of high school remotely, traveling for nine months and 22,000 miles across the United States with Andrew and their close friend, Derick Anies, on a self-directed tour serving college ministries across the country.

 

In 2009, Nick relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where he attended Middle Tennessee State University, graduating with a B.S. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology in 2014. While in Nashville, he developed lasting friendships and became an active leader in his campus ministry. Nick felt called to vocational ministry, taking summer trips to serve in Italy, India, and Haiti, before relocating to Boston, Massachusetts. 

 

Sadly, during his short time in Boston, Nicholas began experiencing mental health challenges that were later diagnosed as schizophrenia. He soon relocated to Atlanta, where he wrestled through years of living with this debilitating disease. Through a decade of highs and lows, Nick remained very close to his family, including his devoted grandparents, uncles, and aunts. Since early 2025, he lived in a long-term psychiatric facility in Florida, where his life was tragically taken on Friday, February 20, 2026.

 

Nicholas is survived by his mother, Patti Lombardi of Clarkston, GA, and father, Tom (Silvana) Lombardi of Atlanta, GA; his siblings, Andrew (Jenna) Lombardi of Atlanta, GA, Caleb (Rachel) Lombardi of Nashville, TN, and Lydia Lombardi of Boston, MA; his grandmothers, Marie Lombardi, Diane Griffin, and Libbie Griffin; many close uncles and aunts, six cousins, one nephew, two nieces, and dozens of loving friends. Nicholas is preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, George Griffin, and paternal grandfather, Thomas Lombardi. 

 

Nicholas loved poetry, had a knack for writing, and even published a kind of memoir, called The Book of Christian. The book includes several heartfelt psalms that capture the essence of Nick’s faith through his intense mental health struggles. Despite the immense burden he carried, Nicholas was a man of hope and vision with a deep concern for others until the end.

 

All are welcome and encouraged to attend a memorial service honoring Nick’s life on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 1:00 PM, at the Cannon Chapel on the Emory Campus in Decatur, Georgia. American Sign Language interpreting will be provided. A burial ceremony for Nicholas’s ashes will be held privately with family at a later date in Honey Creek Woodlands in Conyers, Georgia.

 

The family owes a debt of gratitude to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and to the outstanding mental health staff at Grady Hospital and Georgia Regional Hospital for their tireless support throughout much of Nicholas’s adult life. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Nick’s honor to Community Friendship Atlanta, a non-profit centered on housing services for adults with mental illness, including O’Hern House, an amazing community Nick was part of in Atlanta.

We extend our sincerest gratitude to those who have touched Nicholas’s life in big and small ways. If you are able, we kindly ask that you please share any photos, videos, or stories you have from your time with him for the family’s personal collection. We deeply appreciate the love and support shown to us through Nick’s journey and we hope, as he would, that his spirit continues to feel alive in you.