Eric was my youngest brother and one of the most important people in my life, I know that he would have been deeply moved to see each and every person that showed up in support of him and all of us as a family. For those of you that don't know me, I am Vernon. Eric and I became very close.I loved having him as a brother more than anything else in life.
I've tried to protect Eric as though he was my own son and it is incredibly painful to be here letting him go. Even though Eric was taken from us too soon, I know that I will see him again soon. He lived a full and happy life, one that touched the hearts of so many people. I take comfort in knowing that his legacy will live on through the lives of so many others.
One of the greatest highlights of my life was when I presented Eric with an opportunity to leave Portland and come build Powerlines with me. Eric thought about it for awhile and decided why not, so he rounded up his son Damian and wife Jeannette and moved in with me in Phoenix.
For the first time of my life, I was able to be a part of his life! Eric was an extremely hard worker and it didn't take him long to advance in the industry. He would welcome any task assigned to him with a posative attitude. On one of our projects we stayed together in my trailer. The one thing that I always admired about Eric is that he always looked out for his big brother. My job could be very stressful at times having the role of a Superintendent. More often than not, I would drink beer after work to unwind and decompress from the day and sometimes wouldn't eat or eat something unhealthy and go to bed. Eric recognized this extremly unhealthy life style I had developed and started making it a point to prepare a very nurishing meal for us. He would make me this huge plate of food with vegitables and healthy protiens and make me sit down with him and eat. You see, it was Eric that was watching over me not the other way around. Eric made alot of friends in the Powerline Industry. Many of the friends he made were mutual friends. Numerious friends that were friends with Eric reached out to me with their condolences. Most of them had messages they wanted shared about Eric and the posative impact he made in their lives, too many for me to post. I felt compeled to share a few of their messages however because I feel it is important for other voices to be heardas well.
The first message reads " Eric, from the first time that I had met you when we went to the Union Hall to get sworn inn, I knew that I had met a genuine good hearted man.A few months into our first job together we became great friends on the job and off the job. I will never forget the road trip we mwde to Iowa that changed my life forever. You always made sure I had a smile on my face and if not, you would say something that would make me laugh. To me, I will always remember your laugh as Donald Duck! You were one of a kind and I will never forget you buddy, rest in peace and much love." Another person wrote," Eric was the guy that would always help me see the good through all of the bad. He was very humble and happy no matter what the conditions were. Sometimes it was extreme heat and others extreme rain, wind, ice and cold but he would be always be there and do whatever was asked of him. He has definetly left an empty place in alot of peoples lives, myself included! I loved Eric, he was a great man and made me laugh when no one else could and now he made me cry!" I would like to share a couple of poems with you that set in deeply for me and I am sure they will have an impact on you as well. The first poem reads, "God saw you getting tired, and a cure was not to be. So he put His arms around you and whispered, "Come with Me." With tearful eyes we watched you slowly fade away. Although we loved you dearly, we would not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating, your hard- working hands put to rest, God broke our hearts to prove to us He only takes the best." This next one I wanted to share is In Loving Memory, I miss you always Brother! " My heart has been left broken Since the day you had to go And the memories I treasure dearly Are in the tears that still flow You're in my thoughts everyday And that's how it will always be For you may be up in Heaven now But you'll always be with me If only I could have the chance To see your face once more Or hear your voice one final time Just like it was before The day that Heaven calls for me Will be a relief from all this pain I'll run to you with open arms And we will meet again!" I miss you so very deeply Eric, you have left a huge hole in my heart that will take a long time to heal if it ever does. God bless you Eric, I miss you so very much!