(Andree here) Sean sent along his notes from which he spoke at the Rising, and I thought you all might enjoy seeing them. Stay tuned for a worthy editorial Adam Baker wrote for his hometown paper, but right now Sean is in the spotlight . . . here you go.
* * *
“Erik Rising”
Opening
· My name is Sean Purdom and as most of you know, I am Erik’s big brother.
· I would like to welcome our friends and family to Erik Rising, a tribute to one of the finest human beings this earth has had the privilege of being peed on by…..and my beautiful brother.
· The Purdom Family would like to thank you for spending a portion of your weekend with us to celebrate the life of Erik. Yes, this day will be difficult and sad as we each discuss our memories of the “Big E”, but today is a celebration. A celebration of the extremely adventurous life that my brother led and usually attempted to wrap you in to whether you liked it or not.
· Erik was not like all the others…he was not like me. He was different and that difference is what made him uniquely qualified to be who he was. He was the kid that wore yellow pants to high school, when everyone else was wearing blue SF Riding Jeans or Britannia’s……Who was to know that this different and unique kid would grow up to be the master of his universe and live on a plane most of us can only dream about? If you were lucky enough to get wrapped up in the tornado called Erik…you understand what I am saying.
· Erik touched many people’s lives. He touched everyone in this room….and more. Whether you met Erik once or you were a lifelong friend…he touched you. Erik was a person that you do not easily forget. Be it his imposing stature or his silver tongue…not easy to forget.
· Erik lived 3 lifetimes to our 1. As I look at this video presentation, it becomes even clearer how much this kid lived. No adventure was too big for him.
· I would like to walk you down a path of memories that I shared with Erik, some good, some bad….all treasured.
Outline
· Growing Up Memories
o We did not always get along
§ We used to fight like cats and dos sitting next to each other in the car.
§ Many a fight rolling around in the back yard with massive headlocks applied.
o Erik’s attempt at playing baseball in grade school
o Mom divorcing us in the 7th and 8th grade
o Playing wiffle ball and hotbox for hours in the back yard.
· High School
o Erik cheerleading
o Erik’s crazy attitude
o Stupid stunts
o Playing guitar in BGHS plays
o Who would have known at this point that Erik could have mastered any skill he wanted
· Adulthood
o The Portland drug house (ed. note: Dude, they named it "Bad Manor" - AL)
o Working at subway-they could not understand why Erik’s fingers always had grease under the nails
o Owning businesses and bouncing ideas
§ It did not matter what your particular widget or service was….Erik could provide a barrage of ideas to improve your possibilities
o Project Work
§ Erik was an idea guy. More so than any other person that I have ever met.
§ Fun and challenging to work with….
§ Never settled for mediocrity
§ Pinz
§ Mozo
§ Most folks do not know this but Erik, Nancy, Art Thompson and I were going to toss a daredevil out of a balloon over 100K feet in the air….these are the kind of ideas Erik could wrap his mind around.
§ I always ask myself…would Erik (and Hans for that matter) think this is quality work?
o Cooking
§ Erik could have been a master chef. Restaurant owner.
§ Figuring out his recipes would have been a challenge.
o Property
§ Erik had an amazing ability to visualize and then realize his ideas
§ As you will see at Erik and Nancy’s property…he is a big idea guy….and it shows.
o Family and Friends
§ Erik was all about family and friends.
§ Loved his family, loved his friends
Closing
Friends, I could go on forever. If there is one thing about the Purdom family, there is no shortage of experiences. Erik helped create many of them.
As we all share our memories today, remember, Erik is looking down on us and saying….what are you guys all crying about? Why aren’t you at my house in the sauna or in the pit having a barbeque….and a beer.
Erik was the type of cat that learned from his life experiences. He had an amazing hard drive. He he remembered memories of our childhood that we long gone for me. Guys like him seemingly have learned all they can learn, but even Erik, as intelligent as he was…was learning until the end. His advice as he was leaving us…..balance….balance your life.
Cheers Erik…..I will see you on the other side……I love you brother.
Opening
· My name is Sean Purdom and as most of you know, I am Erik’s big brother.
· I would like to welcome our friends and family to Erik Rising, a tribute to one of the finest human beings this earth has had the privilege of being peed on by…..and my beautiful brother.
· The Purdom Family would like to thank you for spending a portion of your weekend with us to celebrate the life of Erik. Yes, this day will be difficult and sad as we each discuss our memories of the “Big E”, but today is a celebration. A celebration of the extremely adventurous life that my brother led and usually attempted to wrap you in to whether you liked it or not.
· Erik was not like all the others…he was not like me. He was different and that difference is what made him uniquely qualified to be who he was. He was the kid that wore yellow pants to high school, when everyone else was wearing blue SF Riding Jeans or Britannia’s……Who was to know that this different and unique kid would grow up to be the master of his universe and live on a plane most of us can only dream about? If you were lucky enough to get wrapped up in the tornado called Erik…you understand what I am saying.
· Erik touched many people’s lives. He touched everyone in this room….and more. Whether you met Erik once or you were a lifelong friend…he touched you. Erik was a person that you do not easily forget. Be it his imposing stature or his silver tongue…not easy to forget.
· Erik lived 3 lifetimes to our 1. As I look at this video presentation, it becomes even clearer how much this kid lived. No adventure was too big for him.
· I would like to walk you down a path of memories that I shared with Erik, some good, some bad….all treasured.
Outline
· Growing Up Memories
o We did not always get along
§ We used to fight like cats and dos sitting next to each other in the car.
§ Many a fight rolling around in the back yard with massive headlocks applied.
o Erik’s attempt at playing baseball in grade school
o Mom divorcing us in the 7th and 8th grade
o Playing wiffle ball and hotbox for hours in the back yard.
· High School
o Erik cheerleading
o Erik’s crazy attitude
o Stupid stunts
o Playing guitar in BGHS plays
o Who would have known at this point that Erik could have mastered any skill he wanted
· Adulthood
o The Portland drug house (ed. note: Dude, they named it "Bad Manor" - AL)
o Working at subway-they could not understand why Erik’s fingers always had grease under the nails
o Owning businesses and bouncing ideas
§ It did not matter what your particular widget or service was….Erik could provide a barrage of ideas to improve your possibilities
o Project Work
§ Erik was an idea guy. More so than any other person that I have ever met.
§ Fun and challenging to work with….
§ Never settled for mediocrity
§ Pinz
§ Mozo
§ Most folks do not know this but Erik, Nancy, Art Thompson and I were going to toss a daredevil out of a balloon over 100K feet in the air….these are the kind of ideas Erik could wrap his mind around.
§ I always ask myself…would Erik (and Hans for that matter) think this is quality work?
o Cooking
§ Erik could have been a master chef. Restaurant owner.
§ Figuring out his recipes would have been a challenge.
o Property
§ Erik had an amazing ability to visualize and then realize his ideas
§ As you will see at Erik and Nancy’s property…he is a big idea guy….and it shows.
o Family and Friends
§ Erik was all about family and friends.
§ Loved his family, loved his friends
Closing
Friends, I could go on forever. If there is one thing about the Purdom family, there is no shortage of experiences. Erik helped create many of them.
As we all share our memories today, remember, Erik is looking down on us and saying….what are you guys all crying about? Why aren’t you at my house in the sauna or in the pit having a barbeque….and a beer.
Erik was the type of cat that learned from his life experiences. He had an amazing hard drive. He he remembered memories of our childhood that we long gone for me. Guys like him seemingly have learned all they can learn, but even Erik, as intelligent as he was…was learning until the end. His advice as he was leaving us…..balance….balance your life.
Cheers Erik…..I will see you on the other side……I love you brother.
* * *
Photo is courtesy of Art Thompson, and I need to share some more of them with you - Art, you and Roberta are a privilege and joy to know.
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