Eric O'Donnell

Eric was the first friend I made when I moved to Madison in 2005, and the memories we created together, sharing new music, laughing through our youth are etched in my heart forever. I still treasure the guitar pick he gave me on my 21st birthday, a small but powerful reminder of a friendship built on honesty and trust. Eric was a straight shooter, the kind of person who always told me the truth, stood by me when it mattered most, and wasn’t afraid to call me out when I needed it. That honesty was a rare gift, and it’s what I cherished most about him. Eric was one of my very first models back when I went to cosmetology college, my first client at the salon I worked at, and my first customer when I opened my own salon. I’ve cut his hair for the majority of the last 20 years, and every single time he would tell me to trim it or take it all off… no in between, but that was his way, wasn’t it! Eric is an irreplaceable force. There is going to be a missing piece in this life, but I do know that he is enjoying that fact very much…. Likely laughing with a grin and smile in his eyes. I will miss him greeting me with a “what’s up, fucker”. I will miss his banter, the laughs we shared from nonsense, the quotes from movies, and random pictures of bunnies. I can still picture him riding off on his motorcycle. Until we meet again, friend, happy heavenly birthday.

Damn. I had the pleasure of working with Eric at Madison College. He and his apprentices did the plumbing on out Tiny House Projects. Loved his enthusiasm, his joy for life, the way he worked with his apprentices, his can do attitude, and damn that man was a hoot to be around! Lots of laughing as we were working.

I want to add a memory of you. Something we shared a love for, something we found funny, an inside joke. Unfortunately, the only memories I have was looking forward to our email exchanges back and forth between two half siblings that never got to meet in person. The other memories I have span over 25 years of chasing and harassing Eric’s down to see if I found the right one yet. I spent more time trying to find you and reconnect, more time wanting to know who you were, what your humor was like, what kind of music you liked, what you looked like and wondering what crazy life stories you could tell me, as you were the only older sibling I had. In April, I was pretty sure I had finally tracked you down but after so many dead ends and wrong turns, I hesitated to reach out and bug a complete unsuspecting stranger. Reading through these comments, I learned that after all these years, my hesitation was the only thing holding me back. I most certainly found you. Now I find myself sobbing as I read through these comments of the people that love you shared what made you so special to them. Learning who you are with what feels like breadcrumbs. One of my biggest regrets in life will be that I allowed that hesitation stand in the way of reconnecting with you again. Maybe someday someone will be reading this and decide not to let hesitation stop them from reaching out and want to share stories with me about who you are and what made you, you. I know life brought you great sadness, but I hope it brought a lot of joy to you. I hope you had passions you pursued and that you found happiness in the little things. I hope you found fulfillment in what you did and I hope you know how loved you are. Eric, I love you. We never stopped looking. I never stopped trying to reconnect. I never stopped wondering and never forgot about you. I know you are reunited with your brother and I guess that gives me some comfort. On the other side, although I don’t know your mother, I just know no words will be able to describe what she’s going through. If anyone is reading this, if anyone would like to share pictures or videos or stories of Eric, please reach out! I have tried to find him to get to know him since we lost contact many years ago. I would love to hear his voice, see videos, learn more about him. (770) 530-1375. He has more sisters out there that love and miss him. We love you, Eric! Rest in peace ❤️❤️💔💔

Eric will truly be missed. He had a wonderful personality and I truly enjoyed working with him. Seeing that smile was the best. Peg, I am so sorry, my heart breaks for you.

Eric was an excellent student, an outstanding teacher, and an even better friend. His enthusiasm for life, and perpetual optimism is inspiring. Thoughts and prayers to all that loved Eric.