Eric Richard Howard of Shelton, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on November 23, 2024 after a six year battle with brain cancer.
Eric was born April 10, 1995 to Bertrand and Sherri Howard, also of Shelton. After Eric graduated from Shelton High School in 2013, he studied at Southern Connecticut State University and later graduated from Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy in Westport, CT.
In addition to his parents, Eric is survived by his grandfather, Richard Schiekofer, his older brother James Howard and his wife Mary Sheppard, His younger brother Nicholas Howard, and his younger sister Annalee Howard. He is also survived and mourned by many Aunts, Uncles, and cousins who loved him dearly, as well as many close friends who considered him a brother.
Eric was a member of the Shelton High School Gaels football team, where his fierce toughness and pride was only matched by his loyalty and compassion for his teammates. He maintained his football interests as a NY Giants fan, as well as being passionate about fantasy football league with his friends.
Eric was a very thoughtful and loving son and brother, who tried to bring out the best in others, while not forgetting to help them laugh. He was fun-loving, and was often the first person to get on the dance floor to get a crowd in great spirit. As a child, he was usually one of the first kids to say hello to a new student and make them feel welcome. He kept this trait as a young man, making sure that he smiled and chatted with strangers in the many hospital waiting areas he visited. It was not unusual for Eric to comfort another patient, or inspire people with sickness to keep fighting.
Eric faced his illness with undeterred resolve to keep fighting, even knowing it would one day end. He endured brain surgery three times along with radiation, chemotherapy, and several other medicines designed to reverse the cancerous mutation. He overcame the many side effects of his treatment including a stroke in 2021. Several times, his prognosis was weeks to a couple months, but he kept beating the odds to experience many more joyful occasions with family and friends. His team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City recognized his fight and never stopped trying to help him. He made a decision to donate his brain and spinal cord to further scientific medical study MSKCC through their Last Wish program, hoping that study of his fight could one day help other people suffer less.
Many Family and Friends were able to visit Eric and bid him farewell in his final week at Regional Hospice in Danbury, CT. The family is grateful for their kindness in caregiving to Eric and for the many visitors who came. A funeral mass service will be held for Eric at 11:00 AM on January 4th, 2025, at Saint Lawrence Church in Shelton CT.
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