I feel that each child is a divine gift who fulfills a role in the world that is lived out through their lives. They are our teachers and as we love, nurture and cherish them we watch in awe as they transform becoming caring, loving, lights within our community. Eric was such a gift. As our only child we were amazed from the time he could toddle at how he could emanate pure love, joy and happiness to us and those around him. Eric brought light and sunshine into our lives and together we shared beautiful times and wonderful adventures together. As a child Eric loved to be challenged and create things so he was enamored with Lego’s and the transformer toys. He quickly learned all the card games and tricks from his grandmother, and when he visited her in NH she would bring out piles of board games and they would play for hours. That was their special time together. As he got older he loved playing chess and video games. With most electronics and new games he no longer looked at the manuals because he loved the challenge of figuring everything out on his own. His mind was astute and both children and adults enjoyed his company. Anytime we needed help, he was our “go to” person. Eric also had a great sense of humor, which we called the “Doll humor” and a very sharp wit. He was not into material things and simply enjoyed being in the company of people that he loved. As friendships go, he always had a small, close knit circle of friends and he was generous to a fault. The friendships that he forged in elementary and middle school were the same friends he kept in H.S. and College. Eric was a kind, loving, generous and compassionate person who always had a smile on his face. For his close friends, he was their rock and they could always talk to him about anything. He always had a kind word and never judged others. We traveled to Portsmouth, NH 3-4 times per year to visit relatives; the best part was the car ride there and back. We enjoyed our family vacations and traveled to Florida, Hawaii, Philadelphia, and Ireland. Our family meals always included listening to jazz and all sorts of music, and we frequently had family jams on the weekends where he would accompany his dad on either alto or tenor sax. I would play the tambourine and we would have such great times, singing and sharing our love of music. Eric graduated from Calhoun High School in 2011, and excelled academically in History, Math, and Science but always had a deep love and natural talent for music. For all 4 years at Calhoun he played tenor sax at and was part of the Wind Ensemble. During the summers he attended USDAN Center for the Creative and Performing Arts and was part of the concert band over the summers performing classical music. From 6th grade on he performed at fundraisers and gigs playing onstage with his Dad, a lead guitarist/ singer for the Killer Joe and the Lido Soul Revue band, and had the opportunity to meet many talented, well known musicians and performers. He was mentored by wonderful musicians who had many years of experience. His love for music was all encompassing, anything from classical, jazz, popular, and world music. We never imagined that his time on earth was limited because that is inconceivable to a parent, but it happened. We know that Eric is eternally connected with us. He was unable to continue on his life’s journey but as we heal and move forward, we will be able to carry his love with us. Because Eric lived, we learned what love is; divine, pure, selfless and healing. We thank you Eric for 19 wonderful years.