Raised in Lagrangeville, NY, Eric enlisted in the Air Force after high school and served 4 years at Andrews AFB. He then came to Albuquerque to attend UNM for 1 year and stayed for the next 45 years, working in AudioVisual and as a middle school teacher and notetaker for disabled students. He graduated with honors from both Central New Mexico College and the University of New Mexico.

Eric spent the last 27 years of his life with Melinda Lewis, his wife, partner, and buddy. They learned scuba diving together and traveled to the Florida Keys, Mexico, Kauai, and Banff, Canada, as well as local spots like Durango, Ruidoso, Las Cruces, and Red River. They loved going out to lunch, and Eric was especially happy when he could have a green chile cheeseburger.

He loved many dogs and cats throughout his life, and had recently been wearing a t-shirt from his cat Jet that boasted “Best Cat Dad Ever!” which is the absolute truth. He loved music, the ocean, war-related nonfiction, movies, jokes, and watching the night skies.

Despite essential tremors and 3 years of cancer, he stayed easygoing and positive. He was always friendly and loved to chat with all he encountered, making himself familiar with the names and life stories of everyone from the nurses and technicians at the infusion clinic to the clerks at the convenience store and his mail carrier, with whom he had almost daily conversations.

Eric lived in the present, not spending much thought or energy on the past, except for cherishing happy memories, or on the future. About death he often said, “I think the transition will be pretty easy, like stepping over a threshold.” He believed in a wonderful afterlife where he would reunite with his beloved parents, Richard and Jean Mattson, and see his pets at the Rainbow Bridge.

May it be so.