Eric was a respected and beloved coworker at SEARCH. Always calm, thoughtful, and of good cheer, he could be counted on to contribute positively, thoughtfully, and collaboratively on topics across our areas of work, typically with his characteristically good humor. More than a coworker, though, Eric was a friend. He could always be expected to ask how things were going with others, our families, and life in general.
Eric's pride in his own family was clear to everyone. His love for Susie, Ryan, Taylor, and Pierce shone from his eyes and from his heart whenever he talked about them. May God bless Eric and his family.
Eric - you will be sorely missed! I had the privilege of working with you for 7 years and you were a great co-worker. Always available to help out whenever needed. Only you volunteered to crawl under the tables to set up the projectors each day at the Membership Group meetings. I am so glad we had a chance to attend baseball games after the meetings. Only true baseball fans sit through a Cardinals' game in St. Louis in July at 10pm in 85% humidity. Miserable weather, but a fun game to watch. I'll never forget when you told me you got sick everytime you opened the refrigerator at work and saw my NY Yankee lunch box. Good thing over the years the Yanks and Giants didn't meet in the World Series. If the Giants make it there some day, I'll be there to cheer them on for you. To Ryan, Taylor and Pierce - your Dad loved you guys very much and always shared stories of your baseball games. He was very proud of his sons.
Long before I met Eric in Sacramento, he had become well acquainted with some of my San Francisco Bay Area family members. Growing up in San Francisco, Eric was, without a doubt, a devoted Giants fan; however, (as it’s been said) he was also a great follower of the Golden State Warriors. When—in one of our earliest conversations—I asked if he knew Phil Smith, Eric told me more than I had ever known about my Cousin Phil, who had spent six seasons with the Warriors. Although he was a great, dependable, knowledgeable and witty co-worker, from that point forward——I found Eric to be one to flesh out FRIEND, in every caring sense of the word.
When a thief robs us of our treasured possessions, we painfully feel the violation deep within. Let the truth be told, we have no greater possession in this world than a true friend. Like my Cousin Phil, who was snatched away like a thief in the night, seemingly long before his time, another vile robber has stolen a precious, inimitable jewel from us.
I cannot begin to compare my loss of friendship with the heartache and emptiness that Eric’s Susie, Ryan, Pierce, Taylor and the extended Johnson Family are now experiencing. My daily prayer is that each of us will be able to recall and treasure our fondest times shared with Eric, that we will remember often his inspiration and seek to move forward to a “revised normal,” in a manner that will honor the remarkable man he was. Eric was indeed deeply loved and well respected by many.
So what more can I say? Nothing in my vocabulary comes close to appropriate for this time of grief and sadness, so I’ll just repeat for the passing of Eric (inexplicably, on the anniversary of Phil’s birth) the words said of former USF Coach Bob Gaillard when Multiple Myeloma grabbed Phil: "He was the best of competitors and the best of human beings. He was able to make his teammates better players and better people. He will really be missed."
Eric was a respected and beloved coworker at SEARCH. Always calm, thoughtful, and of good cheer, he could be counted on to contribute positively, thoughtfully, and collaboratively on topics across our areas of work, typically with his characteristically good humor. More than a coworker, though, Eric was a friend. He could always be expected to ask how things were going with others, our families, and life in general.
ReplyDeleteEric's pride in his own family was clear to everyone. His love for Susie, Ryan, Taylor, and Pierce shone from his eyes and from his heart whenever he talked about them. May God bless Eric and his family.
Eric - you will be sorely missed! I had the privilege of working with you for 7 years and you were a great co-worker. Always available to help out whenever needed. Only you volunteered to crawl under the tables to set up the projectors each day at the Membership Group meetings. I am so glad we had a chance to attend baseball games after the meetings. Only true baseball fans sit through a Cardinals' game in St. Louis in July at 10pm in 85% humidity. Miserable weather, but a fun game to watch. I'll never forget when you told me you got sick everytime you opened the refrigerator at work and saw my NY Yankee lunch box. Good thing over the years the Yanks and Giants didn't meet in the World Series. If the Giants make it there some day, I'll be there to cheer them on for you. To Ryan, Taylor and Pierce - your Dad loved you guys very much and always shared stories of your baseball games. He was very proud of his sons.
ReplyDeleteLong before I met Eric in Sacramento, he had become well acquainted with some of my San Francisco Bay Area family members. Growing up in San Francisco, Eric was, without a doubt, a devoted Giants fan; however, (as it’s been said) he was also a great follower of the Golden State Warriors. When—in one of our earliest conversations—I asked if he knew Phil Smith, Eric told me more than I had ever known about my Cousin Phil, who had spent six seasons with the Warriors. Although he was a great, dependable, knowledgeable and witty co-worker, from that point forward——I found Eric to be one to flesh out FRIEND, in every caring sense of the word.
ReplyDeleteWhen a thief robs us of our treasured possessions, we painfully feel the violation deep within. Let the truth be told, we have no greater possession in this world than a true friend. Like my Cousin Phil, who was snatched away like a thief in the night, seemingly long before his time, another vile robber has stolen a precious, inimitable jewel from us.
I cannot begin to compare my loss of friendship with the heartache and emptiness that Eric’s Susie, Ryan, Pierce, Taylor and the extended Johnson Family are now experiencing. My daily prayer is that each of us will be able to recall and treasure our fondest times shared with Eric, that we will remember often his inspiration and seek to move forward to a “revised normal,” in a manner that will honor the remarkable man he was. Eric was indeed deeply loved and well respected by many.
So what more can I say? Nothing in my vocabulary comes close to appropriate for this time of grief and sadness, so I’ll just repeat for the passing of Eric (inexplicably, on the anniversary of Phil’s birth) the words said of former USF Coach Bob Gaillard when Multiple Myeloma grabbed Phil: "He was the best of competitors and the best of human beings. He was able to make his teammates better players and better people. He will really be missed."