Tyler - I had the privilege to call Eric my best friend for almost 18 years.  He was the kindest, generous, most loving, and fun person I have ever been around.  I can truly say that he had the greatest/best impact on my life, and helped shape me into the person I am today. 

 

Brittany - Eric was one of the most genuine, loving, and hilarious people I had ever had the pleasure of knowing.   I feel honored to have known Eric and I'm sure you know that anyone who has ever met Eric was left better because of him.

 

Jenavieve - He was the kindest, best hearted person at Granite Bay.

 

Katie - He ALWAYS made me laugh. I am so thankful to have known Eric. He truly is one-of-a-kind.

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Jaime - Eric was such a joyful and intelligent person. He was like a ray of sunshine wherever he went. He was always one of those people who it would be so nice to run into. It would make your day. He was always so present when he talked to you. I always knew that Eric was going to be one of the people who was going to change the world with his kindness, joy and intelligence. I know he made a difference to me and everyone else who was lucky enough to have known him.

 

Kevin - Coaching Eric in soccer was such a joy. He was always one of my favorites--a young guy who was full of life and spirit and competitive fire. He knew when to take things seriously but he never forgot to have fun. 

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Nancy - He touched so many people in his short time at Invoca and made such an impression! I so enjoyed watching Eric start a completely new career, jump in with both feet and then within a few short months blossom into a leader. He was an exceptional human being,

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​​John - He was one of the smartest, nicest and cheerful people I have ever known. I never heard an unkind word come out of his mouth. 

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Emma - Not only was Eric good at meeting new people from all walks of life, but he loved bringing different people together over common interests. Through him, I met his adventuring friends, his family members, his friends from abroad; and even people at my own school in different social circles. The first time I met Julie, we were on our way to Yosemite for the weekend, and we had a hardcore 12-hour bonding session as we hiked the Mist Trail while Eric and Kevin climbed. One of the best gifts that Eric gave me is the realization of the power of relationships, no matter how fresh or enduring they are.

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Lauren - Eric was always such an infectious person. If Eric was happy, no one around him could help but be happy. But he was also empathetic and endearing, and a truly caring and humble individual.

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Zack - I'll never forget a night we had of playing Fireball/Shot-glass Chess. I have a chess set where each piece is made of shot glasses, and one random night we decided to have at it. Needless to say, Eric kicked my ass at chess and I drank way too much fireball...it was a great time, and definitely worth the hangover.

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Carmen - We were on a brutal 40 mile hike and Eric was the only one who didn’t complain about it. I remember being impressed when he offered his hat to me when I was struggling. He needed that hat just as much as me. I just thought to myself, “what a guy.” I was reminded of this feeling many more times throughout the trip, especially when he made his delicious dinner for us.  Eric is the guy that makes you feel good. He is that guy who will offer you his hat.

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​Natalie - Eric was such an amazing person who brought so much joy and life to those around him. He was so kind, genuine, and so happy. It was rare to see him without a smile on his face, and even more, it was impossible not to smile when you were around him. He loved everybody that he knew, and you could feel that love every time you were with him. I was always amazed at how hard he worked at his job, how much heart he poured into all of his hobbies, and how - on top of all of that- he poured even more heart into his friendships and relationships. He was an amazing person. He was just the best.

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Nichole - He was great in every way a person can be.  He was a true gentleman and a very caring, bright, gifted person. 

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Dan - I wish to be the great man that Eric was. To be respected and loved by his peers. To never let the stress or tension of the day phase me. Eric took great pride and enjoyed being dependable. He wanted to be the “go-to” guy. He made me better, he made us all better. His extreme kindness inspires me to be care more. His work ethic inspires me to work harder. His extreme passion inspires me to share my passion with others more frequently.  He is one of the greatest men I will ever know and he will always be on my team.

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Jenn - Every time we talked about family, Eric would light up. He knew that his family loved him to the ends of the Earth, and he always remembered that. The love and support he received from his family made him into an extremely kind and caring friend. Eric was someone who I could talk to about anything and everything. I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with him. Every time we spoke, I was reminded of the goodness in the world. 

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Lauren - Slathered in green paint, screaming at the top of our lungs as The Emerald Brigade took the field is one memory with Eric I will always hold near. We called ourselves the "Band Aids," the student cheering section for the GBHS band.  This encapsulates so many of Eric's qualities that I admired so much - his wholehearted commitment to everything he did, big or small, his joyful spirit, and his deep heart to encourage others. 

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Jared - I have the utmost respect for Eric as a human being and as a friend. His ability to make one feel comfortable, interesting, and important was unparalleled. It was impossible not to want to bring him into your life. I will carry his laugh and smile with me for the rest of my life. 

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​Tamara - Eric brought so much joy.  I just loved him all the time--and that's saying a lot!  He was kind and honest and full of integrity and truly one of the good guys. 

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Kevin - I knew we would be friends for life. When Eric and I were outdoors, everything was at peace and nothing else mattered except for having fun, being with the people we cared about, and doing what we loved. 

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Steph - He was truly one of the greats. He was always such an inspiration. The comedic relief of the group, always smiling or laughing wanting to make sure everyone was having a good time. He was always such a great story teller. I loved listening to his rogue bison story over drinks when we saw him several months ago.

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Jake - There are people that you meet in this life that you know you will be friends with forever. Eric was one of those people and I knew very early on. He was genuine in every sense of the word. His infectious personality and laugh were unlike any other. I watched him over an 8 year period develop into an amazing man. He helped me through the tough times and inspired me to be a better person.​

 

​​Amy - Eric was amazing to work with; he was so excited and motivated, no matter what. Whenever a seemingly frustrating situation came up, he would always address it with so much kindness and a smile on his face. His joy for living and getting out there is so inspiring. His kindness, sincerity and level-headed-ness was contagious. Eric was such a kind and thoughtful person. He gave everyone a Christmas gift, and each gift was so thought out for that person, with a hand written note. I can't ever remember any coworker putting so much thought into a gift. It was so touching.

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This last one is a bit longer, but it sums up Eric very well...

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Crystal -  Every day, and I mean EVERY day, whenever I would come in to work, he would say bright and loud, "Good morning Crystal" and flash me that gorgeous Eric smile. Whenever I had a look of frustration on my face, Eric would message me online (even though he was sitting across from me) with a simple message: "Smile" knowing full well I would look over at him and start laughing, his goal achieved.

 

His selflessness, authenticity and genuine caring about everyone made me want to be a better person from the very first day I met him.

 

He showed us his silly side - sometimes a song would come on in the room and an impromptu dance party would start. Eric was always one of the first people to jump in and his moves...man, his moves, were just awesomely quirky, but Eric owned them and didn't care who saw. This was just who he was and if you didn't accept it, well...it didn't matter because he was just living life. 

 

He showed us his intelligent side - He always wanted to jump in and help with any project. He was always researching solutions and expanding his knowledge. He was also the only person I knew who took mental breaks by working on crossword puzzles. He went from working on very technical issues to working on technical crossword puzzles and I was always inspired by this.

 

He showed us his caring side - recently we were out at happy hour and our group got split up from him & Julie. He told me that he was upset at the time telling Julie: "I left my friends...they're waiting for us. We have to find them!" There was never enough time with that guy. He just didn't want to miss a moment. 

 

He showed us his adventurous side & inspired many of us to get outside more. I went to Death Valley for the super bloom Eric talked about - he inspired me to go.

 

I only knew him for a short 8 months...but in that time, he truly changed me and touched my life. I will truly miss this great man - I'll miss his infectious laugh and how much he pushed me to be a better person and live life to the fullest. His spirit will live on in all the people's lives he touched and we'll carry him with us in all of our future adventures.