Eric passed away early this morning, peacefully, in his sleep, with family by his side.
He was, as I've written in the last few posts, ready to go, and his end was mercifully quick. For that, we are all thankful.
Eric wished to donate his remains to research and education, and we have honored those wishes, in hopes that the cancer researchers at UCSF will be able to glean information from the study of his tumor that might one day lead to the discovery of an effective treatment for future glioblastoma multiforme patients. Nothing would make Eric happier than to know that he could contribute to scientific progress even in death.
A funeral service will be held in Michigan on Tuesday June 18 at 2 pm at the Dorfman Chapel in Farmington Hills; those wishing to attend should check the chapel website for details. Plans are also in the works for a memorial service in San Francisco later this summer.
To all of Eric's friends who have been following this blog and have shared your warm thoughts and wishes and support over the last four years: thank you for being there with him and with us. He was a lucky man to have such a loving community of friends.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Learning of this news with a heavy heart. The world is a better place for Eric having been in it. Love to all his family & dearest ones.
ReplyDeleteRIP Eric. We are all so much better to have known you. Thanks for all you've done for me. You were the best physics mentor I could have. I will very much miss you. Little Marlow.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update W. Eric will be missed. Thoughts are with you and the rest of the family.
ReplyDeleteSo sad. It's hard to imagine. I'll miss Eric's wonderful spirit and intelligence. His contributions were great. RIP, Eric. Warmest thoughts with you all.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to write in spite of your sadness. Eric was an amazing person - I know a large part of it came from your family. Your love and support for him shone through this blog. I send you my most sincere condolences for this great loss. We will all miss Eric so very much.
ReplyDeleteEric's living and life was a treasure for all who touched him. His reach was bountiful and he inspired us all. Our deepest condolences on your loss.
ReplyDeleteWendy - thank you for your strength and courage that it took to write this poignant update, but most of all for how you cared for and took care of your brother during his last days. He fought valiantly all the way through to the very end and I'm thankful that he left this world peacefully with loving family surrounding him. We will all miss Eric and my deepest condolences to you, your family, and to all who loved him. I will never forget you Eric and thank you for the time we shared together - rest peacefully my friend...
ReplyDeleteFarewell, my friend, and Godspeed.
ReplyDeleteWendy, thank you for the posts. I am so sorry for your loss. I only met Eric once - we had brunch together a couple of years ago. But we had been in email contact many times - ever since I began following his blog after hearing about him from a colleague. His story and my wife Leslie's were so similar - including being treated by the amazing people at UCSF. She lost her battle a year and a half ago - and the trajectories of their illnesses were nearly identical. I am so glad that he was surrounded by so many who loved him (and who he loved). I think about him often, as I still do her, and will never forget their courage and strength in facing this.
I spent over two hours reading Eric's blog from beginning to end and what a fighter, with such courage and strength. I want to say thank you Eric for donating, only with research and education will we end brain cancer. Thank you for being generous to help fight battle brain cancer for all of those now and in the future who have only begun their battles.
ReplyDeleteRest in peace
Geri
To the family of Eric:
ReplyDeleteI first met Eric back at Brown University where we were both undergraduate students. I was part of a group that decided to continue our education at the University of Michigan. The circle rapidly grew to become an amazing group of friends that reached across engineering, applied physics, social work, law and the humanities. For a group of graduate students, many PhD students, we were a remarkably interesting, fun, socially adept and well balanced lot. In fact, a few of us had to repeatedly convince our advisors we had the dedication for academic pursuit! Looking back over the years, it is no surprise that my friends from Michigan stand out as being my best and closest friends ever. And I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been in great touch with many of them over the intervening years.
We had so much fun with Eric at Michigan. He was a huge part of how we all kept our sanity during those sometimes grueling years. But getting to know Eric, the friend, the citizen, the activist during the years after school was how I really began to appreciate Eric. And I can't even say I was a part of his real life in SF, but that didn't seem to matter.
I recall a conversation Eric and I had on the phone in late 2001. He was genuinely interested to know if I had experienced any backlash from the events of 9/11 because of my name or skin color. Out of all of my friends, he was the one who wanted to "dig a bit deeper". He was equally sharing of his own life's quirks at the time.
We were all especially proud of his movie night in Delores Park (though I never went); maybe since it was modeled after the "Top of the Park" summer movie series in Ann Arbor. We marveled at Eric's kayaking photos and rooted for him in his desires to do more with his career. We always wanted to include him in our other adventures.
I would say that everything he and his friends accomplished for cancer awareness...well, some might assume it came from a new found focus or some fundamental change in energies....Maybe, but not really... That was the Eric that was there all along: community minded, mission oriented and determined. It is no surprise that he leaves such a looming legacy in San Francisco. He has certainly left his mark forever on me and I know I am speaking for many, many others from our U of M gang.
I have never met any of Eric's immediate family. But thank you for your part in shaping him into the person he was. Thanks for this blog and for sharing your souls with us. We are all a little less alone for it.
Omar
Rest in peace
ReplyDelete