Burial Expense Assistance for Eric Alan Coles
My beloved husband, Eric Alan Coles, passed away on April 3rd, 2020 from pancreatic cancer. Eric had a magnificent life as an active duty Marine, fun-loving gamer, historical re-enactor, highly skilled martial artist and brilliant polymath whose amazing number crunching skills were well exercised over a 26 year career at Columbia University. Eric made friends everywhere he went. It can be said that he was modest to a fault, given his sheer competence in so many different things. He was a loving father and husband, a kind friend always up for a game, an intellectual discussion and/or a drink, and a man whose blazing blue eyes you did not EVER want to see looking at you over the business end of a blade unless it was for fun and sport. His best friend Richard Van Nort referred to him as "Our Doc Holliday", and that was very true.
His eldest daughter Riana rightly said that it took a global pandemic to bring this man down. Initially given six months to live, he fought pancreatic cancer to a standstill for three and a half years. Then the virus arrived in our world and life was forever changed for so many. While Eric did not test positive for COVID19, the awful timing of the pandemic interfered with his acceptance into a high profile clinical trial being run by an internationally known researcher at NY Presbyterian that could have saved his life. It also kept him from being able to go to his primary hospital for what would be the last time. Both hospitals are to be commended for their staunch support of my husband during his final illness, but it cannot be denied that the pandemic had an effect on the quality of his care.
The pandemic also heavily interfered in the ability to follow my beloved's last wishes, which were that his body be donated to Columbia/New York Presbyterian Medical School. He opted to do this for two reasons: the first was to give back to the Columbia scientific community that he loved and supported to almost literally his dying breath; and the second was an intent, typical of his inherent chivalric nature, to relieve our little family's financial burden.
While Northwell Manhasset Hospital very kindly allowed his daughters, my brother, myself and his cherished cadet Marion York to say goodbye to him in person, after he passed it became apparent that neither NYP nor any other hospital in the New York area could accept his remains for scientific study. The morgues are completely full. This pandemic and it's repercussions have been an absolute nightmare for all concerned.
Our family's traditional funeral home, Weigand Brothers, very quickly and compassionately stepped up and provided the best services they could under the circumstances. If any of you want to help with the unexpected cost of Eric's cremation, you can do so here.
You can also visit the memorial web page at Weigand Brothers, that sadly must be the only way that we can gather together at this time to celebrate my beloved's life. At the link below, you can post photos and memories you may have of him that will help tell his story. When this crisis is over, we will hopefully be able to gather together in person to properly honor this amazing and wonderful man who was such a gift to this world. He is now Odin's own, feasting and fighting in Valhalla as is proper for such a doughty warrior. For now he must be an Einherjar - a hero who fights alone, until the day that I join him in the Hall of Bronzen Shields.
Our deepest thanks to all of you for standing with us during this excruciatingly painful time - Eileen, Riana, and Marguerite Coles.