Eric Anderson

The word came quietly today. Karen, who has been at the Lab since about day 1, came around to us "old timers" to let us know that Eric had died yesterday of cancer. He, too, had been up the street at Steward Observatory seemingly forever, working in the drafting department. After getting his lung cancer diagnosis 2 years ago last fall, and given 6-12 months to live, he retired to get treatments, and spend time with his wife Kirsteen raise their son Brendon, now 6.

And that might have been the last time I would see him, but for the chance meeting we had at University Medical Center we had a year ago or so. Both of us were wandering the halls after tests or whatever, and we stopped and caught up, finding that we were both blogging, and reconnected because of it. The regulars might have seen his listing on the right border of our blog "Arizona Imagined", which contains some of the most impressive writing and imagery of the Southwest that I've seen! That boy got around and had himself some adventures! I invite all of you to take a little time and read what he had to say, and see what he saw in his explorations.

We were not close - acquaintances at work, but on a first name basis. We commented on each others blog posts, and I accepted his blog's invitation to come to Brendon's 6th birthday last April. I've not been to a 6-year old's party since about the time I was 6, and it was a fun time. He even sacrificed himself to be the target of 25 kids with boxes of water balloons!

And now we've only got his memory, and his blog where he shows his love of the Arizona desert, and the love he has for a 6-year-old who will now continue without his dad. These pictures at left are among my favorites of him and Brendon from his blog, taken, interestingly, in Chicago near us last summer where they were attending a relatives funeral, then playing tourist in the Windy City.

But do read some of his blog - he had a lot to say!