Erik Bradley Wilson

July 16, 1990 – April 20, 2020

God has him in His arms, we have him forever in our hearts.

The joy and happiness Erik brought to our lives cannot be expressed. In his time here on Earth, there was never a dull moment with him. He had a million-dollar smile, a contagious laugh and taught us all to live life to the fullest.

Erik was born with an easiness and natural curiosity about everything in life. As he was growing up, Erik loved school. Math, history and science were his favorite subjects. He was creative and artistic too. He appreciated art and photography. During his lifetime, Erik had many dogs and cherished them all. He had a sweet tooth and enjoyed baking. Of course, he liked the batter more than the actual baked creation. He was a lover of bacon, BBQ’d steaks, and Phanny’s breakfast burritos and ate one almost every weekend. Mostly, Erik loved being active. He was passionate about sports and played on youth football, baseball, and soccer teams. In his free time, Erik was biking on the strand, mountain biking down the top of Mammoth Mountain, snowboarding, wakeboarding, skateboarding, climbing (too high for parents to watch), jumping off bridges into bodies of water below (again, too high for parents to watch), camping, fishing, hiking, surfing, and paddle boarding; basically, anything to do with being outdoors. Erik was competitive and a leader in everything he did. He even took the game of ping pong to a whole new level. In summer, Erik always looked forward to the Junior Lifeguard program where he developed a love and skill for paddle boarding. At 14, he was the United States Paddle Board Champion for the 18 & under division. That same year, he went on to earn 2nd place internationally and, along with his dad, took 1st place in the father/son competition in Oahu, Hawaii. Erik attended Redondo Union High School and was on the football, baseball, and golf teams. As a three-year varsity quarterback, he and his team took the Bay League Title in 2007. He also received many academic and athletic awards, as well as scholarships.

Erik attended University of Washington and earned his degree in Business Communications while playing football for the Huskies. He loved public speaking and brought a sense of humor when asked to speak. After graduation he worked in the medical field before discovering construction. He enjoyed the engineering, building, and the creative part of it and was just about to move into a construction management career. More important than all these accomplishments, was Erik’s charisma. He always made everyone feel comfortable when he was around them and looked out for others. Erik was a “hugger” and greeted everyone with a warm embrace whether he knew them, or just met them for the first time. Right now, our hearts are in a million pieces and we will miss Erik, but we take solace in knowing that God needed him in heaven.

Friends and family can gather June 27th at 9am on Torrance Beach (in front of Perry’s Café) for a Celebration of Life to honor Erik. The beach, and everything it has to offer, was always a special place for Erik. There will be a ceremony followed by a memorial paddle out. All are welcome to join us for the paddle out, or simply watch from shore. Attire is casual. Torrance Beach Parking Lot is cash only ($7).

Please bring a towel or chair to sit on if you think you’ll need them.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be sent to Concussion Legacy Foundation at https://concussionfoundation.org/give-online  CLF co-founded, along with the Veteran’s Administration and Boston University, the VA-BU-CLF brain bank, the world’s leading CTE research program.