‘Best die young,’ says kin of slain 23-yr.-old

HER NEPHEW WAS only 23, but Nicole Missio can’t imagine a life without Nicholas Cleves, one of the eight people killed in the lower Manhattan truck terror attack.

“We’re just shocked,” said Missio, whose sister, Monica Missio, is the victim’s mother. “There aren’t any words to describe this. We’re really, really stunned, and saddened, you know. The best people seem to die young.”

Missio said she was vacationing with her husband in Europe, which has a little more experience with these type of attacks, when she got the tragic news.

“We were in London and we came back last night,” said Missio, who lives in Lexington, Mass. “We’re just processing everything right now.”

She said the software engineer was like one of her own sons.

“I knew Nicholas very well,” Missio said. “I have two sons roughly the same age, and the three of them were incredibly close. They were like brothers, and we spent many holidays and vacations together.”

She said her sister inconsolable.

“She’s grieving and she’s in so much shock,” Missio said. “As a family, we’re completely destroyed. Nicholas was a wonderful human being and he was the only son of my sister, the only child of my sister and they were extremely close.” Missio said the family is still dealing with the death of Cleves’ father, who died suddenly four years ago. “That was another tragedy,” she said. “So, we’ve had our share.” Cleves (photo), who lived in the West Village, was one of two Americans killed in the attack. Darren Drake, 32, of New Milford, N.J., a project manager at Moody’s, also died when the truck plowed through the crowd. Five Argentine men celebrating 30 years of friendship and a Belgium mother were also killed in the attack.