Yeah, Eric was the tall kid that sat behind me in Gr 9 English class, I was a big Boston Bruins hockey fan and he loved the Leafs..I used to bug him everytime the Big Bad Bruins with Orr et al, used to beat the crap out of his beloved Leafs. It would make him crazy, but he was about 6'1 and I was maybe only 5'8 at the time, so I knew not to push his buttons too much,,but a real quiet gentle sort, who unfortunately had a very sad homelife. I can still remember how shocked I was when I found out why he was not in school next day and his seat was empty. RIP big guy... Phil Read
Echoing Phil's comments for sure. I recall Eric from Drafting and other I.E. classes, and the big grin he had whenever he got to share in a joke or any other form of inclusion. We can only surmise that perhaps those were actually highlights in his life at that time, a sense of acceptance and appreciation from his classmates. A strong, gentle, quiet guy that I appreciated having on my team in P.E. rugby games (running blocker for me as I 'ran for my life' with the ball). How many times as parents have we seen behaviours in our teenagers when they seem to have momentarily lost their sense of balance and anchorage. So tragic that Eric was alone when such an overwhelming sense of 'no other way out' took him from us.
Forever remembering him for the friend he was, and how his passing offered awareness of emotional fragility & vulnerability in the teen years, to us and our parents too. Glen E
Phil Read
Yeah, Eric was the tall kid that sat behind me in Gr 9 English class, I was a big Boston Bruins hockey fan and he loved the Leafs..I used to bug him everytime the Big Bad Bruins with Orr et al, used to beat the crap out of his beloved Leafs. It would make him crazy, but he was about 6'1 and I was maybe only 5'8 at the time, so I knew not to push his buttons too much,,but a real quiet gentle sort, who unfortunately had a very sad homelife. I can still remember how shocked I was when I found out why he was not in school next day and his seat was empty.RIP big guy...
Phil Read
Glen Esdale
Echoing Phil's comments for sure. I recall Eric from Drafting and other I.E. classes, and the big grin he had whenever he got to share in a joke or any other form of inclusion. We can only surmise that perhaps those were actually highlights in his life at that time, a sense of acceptance and appreciation from his classmates. A strong, gentle, quiet guy that I appreciated having on my team in P.E. rugby games (running blocker for me as I 'ran for my life' with the ball). How many times as parents have we seen behaviours in our teenagers when they seem to have momentarily lost their sense of balance and anchorage. So tragic that Eric was alone when such an overwhelming sense of 'no other way out' took him from us.Forever remembering him for the friend he was, and how his passing offered awareness of emotional fragility & vulnerability in the teen years, to us and our parents too.
Glen E