Basic Information
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Nia Novella Travilla |
| Birth | 16 August 1951 (reported) |
| Death | 1 October 2002 (reported) |
| Mother | Dona Drake (born Eunice Westmoreland) |
| Father (by marriage) | William Travilla (Hollywood costume designer) |
| Maternal grandparents | Joseph Westmoreland; Novella (née Smith) Westmoreland |
| Occupation (reported) | Veterinarian / animal-welfare advocate; Miniature Schnauzer breeder |
| Children | No children reported |
| Public mentions | Family memorials, genealogy pages, community recollections and small online biographies |
Family Portrait — the Travilla–Westmoreland constellation
I like to imagine the Travilla–Westmoreland family like a Hollywood backstage tableau: silk dresses on racks, a sewing machine ticking like a metronome, and a small dog asleep in the wings. At center sits Nia Novella Travilla, whose life threads together old-school showbiz and quiet animal-care devotion.
| Name | Relation to Nia | A thumbnail introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Dona Drake (born Eunice Westmoreland) | Mother | A Golden Age entertainer who moved through stage names and personas — the kind of figure who made a life in lights while keeping family close to the dressing room. |
| William Travilla | Father (by marriage) | Hollywood costume designer — a figure in the industry whose craft shaped how stars looked on-screen; the family name carries that creative legacy. |
| Joseph Westmoreland | Maternal grandfather | Ancestor in the Westmoreland line who anchors the family across generations. |
| Novella (née Smith) Westmoreland | Maternal grandmother | The matrilineal root that traces down to Nia’s middle name — Novella — a lovely echo of family continuity. |
I walked through these names like pages in a scrapbook: each label opens a small scene — my mind’s eye catching Dona stepping off a studio lot, William smoothing a collar, Joseph and Novella in a sepia photograph. Those scenes explain why Nia’s life reads like a hybrid of two worlds: the public shimmer of Hollywood and the private, hands-on care of animals.
Career and public life — reported paths and the hush of personal work
Nia’s public trace is not loud; it’s more a constellation of small lights. She is reported to have worked as a veterinarian and to have been active in animal-welfare circles, with several community mentions of her breeding Miniature Schnauzers. Those details paint a portrait of someone who loved animals practically and deeply — a person who likely traded red carpets for exam tables, glamour for grooming brushes.
Numbers matter: the timeline runs from a birth in 1951 to a passing in 2002 — a span of 51 years during which the bigger headlines belonged to her parents’ generation. Nia’s professional footprint, by contrast, seems to sit in veterinary clinics, breeder registries, and neighborhood recollections rather than on marquee signs.
If life were a film, hers would be the intimate B-roll — the close-ups of hands washing, a stethoscope over a small chest, the quiet rise and fall of a sleeping pup. That’s the kind of career that resists tabloid spins but rewards anyone paying attention with steady, real-world kindness.
Net worth and public profile — what’s known and what isn’t
When I look for financial tallies, the trail goes cold — there are no credible public records that disclose a net worth for Nia. That absence is its own statement: she was not a public figure measured by dollar signs; she inhabited roles that matter to communities but seldom show up in financial roundups.
| Item | What the material shows |
|---|---|
| Documented financial records | None publicly available |
| Public persona | Local, private, community-oriented rather than celebrity-focused |
| Media coverage | Sparse; mainly family memorials and small biographies |
Online whispers, mentions, and the afterlife of memory
The stories I followed are the kind that live in memorial guestbooks, family trees, and forum threads — places where people remember birthdays, line up photos, and trade anecdotes. There’s a persistent, affectionate tone: recollections of Nia the vet, Nia the breeder, Nia the daughter. There’s almost no gossip in the tabloid sense — instead there are personal memories, small and sincere, repeated in multiple places like a refrain.
Think of it this way: if mainstream news were a cinema, these mentions would be the home movies cut between reels — candid, informal, and sometimes the only record left of the day-to-day life that mattered most.
Memory as craft: how a family name carries story
Names do work for us. “Novella” reads like a promise of story; it’s apt that Nia’s life is preserved in short, overlapping narratives — showbiz lineage at one end and tender animal work at the other. The Travilla surname brings with it a sense of design and costume; the Westmoreland line brings roots; Nia threads the two, quietly stitching a life that’s more intimate than headline-ready.
When I think of Nia, I picture a scene: a costume designer’s lamp glowing late, someone mending a seam; in the next room, a woman in a white coat listens to a small dog’s lungs, pen poised, compassion in rhythm. It’s cinematic in the best way — not the big, flashy scene but the one that gives texture to the whole movie.
FAQ
Who was Nia Novella Travilla?
Nia Novella Travilla was the daughter of entertainer Dona Drake and step-daughter of costume designer William Travilla, reported to have been born 16 August 1951 and to have died 1 October 2002.
What did Nia do for a living?
She is reported to have worked as a veterinarian and animal-welfare advocate, and is remembered in community mentions as a breeder of Miniature Schnauzers.
Who were Nia’s parents?
Her mother was Dona Drake (born Eunice Westmoreland) and her father by marriage was William Travilla, a Hollywood costume designer.
Did Nia have children?
No children are reported in the available family records and memorial mentions.
Are there news articles or big profiles about her?
Her public trace is modest — most mentions come from family memorials, genealogy entries, and community recollections rather than major press profiles.
What is known about her net worth?
There are no credible public records reporting a net worth for Nia; financial details are not publicly documented.
How is she remembered online?
She is remembered mainly through memorial pages, family trees, and personal recollections that highlight her animal-care work and family connections.
Where do the family names come from?
“Novella” appears in the maternal line (Novella Westmoreland) and is echoed in Nia’s middle name; the Travilla surname connects to the Hollywood costume tradition.
