Homer "Nute" Mullings

Homer “Nute” Mullings, 72, of Truckee, California passed away unexpectedly on May 27th, 2024. Nute was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 28th, 1952. He was raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he attended local public schools and competed on his high school swim team. Nute’s father ran a local burger shop where Nute spent a lot of time working. His parents took the family camping, skiing and hunting; and supported him in Boy Scouts which all fostered his love of the outdoors. After Nute graduated from Santa Fe High School in 1970, he studied to become a refrigeration technician. He worked in that trade for a couple of years before skiing called him to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. There he started his lifelong career in building, and it was there that he started to learn to raft. Rafting became one of his passions and shaped his future life in many ways. Nute moved to Denali, Alaska in 1985 and started guiding rafts down the Nenana River, which afforded him the opportunity to explore Alaska. He rowed up to six trips a day, each time for eleven miles with ten people in a raft. The people he worked with that first summer became lifelong friends. The next year he started taking photos of the rafters on the river and his photography business flourished for the next ten summers. He lived out of a tent while he was working and exploring his new home base, but eventually built his own cabin just outside of Denali National Park. In the winters he lived in Reno, Nevada where he worked construction until heading back to Alaska for the summer raft season. Rafting took Nute across the world –to Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico. In 1989, he traveled to Russia to participate in the whitewater rafting nationals – Project Raft. Some of his favorite river trips included the Yampa in Colorado and Utah, the Main and Middle Forks of the Salmon in Idaho, the North Fork of the American and Yuba in California, the Nenana River in Alaska, and the Carson River in Nevada, which was a true family favorite. He also rowed the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon ten times. This is a 16-21 day trip through some of the biggest and most challenging whitewater, complemented by fabulous hikes. Five of these trips included his wife, and one memorable trip included his two children. In 1990, Nute met his wife Sonja through whitewater rafting friends. Their friendship blossomed into a beautiful love and Nute proposed to Sonja in the spring of 1995 by the Cal Salmon River. They married in 1996 at Loch Leven Lodge on Donner Lake. In Truckee, they set down their roots. In the winter of 1995 to 1996, Nute spent five tireless months building the house that became the family’s home. Nute and Sonja had two children together--Skyler Mullings and Kianna Mullings. The children were raised in the house that Nute built and they will cherish the years they spent celebrating both daily life and life’s milestone’s together. Nute worked in construction for most of his career, helping to build some of the biggest and most beautiful houses in the Truckee-Tahoe community. After his retirement in 2018, Nute enjoyed the simple things in life—his morning coffee, his garden, the outdoors and his family. He supported all the friends and family who surrounded him, but he adored his children and his wife. Nute’s love for rafting was only a small part of his love for the outdoors. He also loved Nordic and Alpine skiing, biking, hiking and gardening. He especially loved cross-country skiing with his dog Nala in the Van Norden meadow. And in the summertime, Nute and Nala would spend lots of time walking in a meadow behind their family home. When his kids were cross country ski racing, one could find Nute volunteering at Auburn Ski Club by setting up the race courses. Behind the scenes, Nute also would support his children by helping wax their skis before races and he almost never missed one of Sklyer or Kianna’s competitions. Recently, Nute and Sonja got a motorhome, which allowed them to explore more beautiful sceneries, as well as creating opportunities to visit friends and family. Nute was a true craftsman. Whatever he did, he did it well. He was able to build and fix almost anything, but woodworking was a special love. After retirement he did many refinishing projects within the home, and he created special pieces his children will always cherish. Nute was preceded in death by his parents Charles Joseph Mullings and Cynthia Ann (Nute) Thompson, his brother Dewey Mullings, and mother-in-law Darlene Shaw. He is survived by his wife Sonja Harris, children Skyler Harrison Mullings (Cassidy Fuller) and Kianna Darlene Mullings, siblings Bern Mullings and Cyndy Mullings, step siblings Deb Thompson and Sarah Kneefel, as well as many brothers-in law, sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces and nephews. Nute will be missed dearly and will always be remembered as a loving and supportive husband, father, and friend. There will be a Celebration of Life held at Auburn Ski Club in Truckee, CA on September 14, 2024, at 3:00 PM with a reception to follow. In Nute’s words, “Don’t forget to have fun!”

Tributes

Homer "Nute" Mullings

February 28, 1952 - May 27, 2024