Eric Arthur Nadeau

Disclaimer: Having never written an obituary, it is difficult to gauge what to include about a person's life and what to leave out. Questions of what picture to use, appropriate details to share, and customary length have haunted my family this week. All this to say, if it seems long, I apologize. This is the last thing that I will ever be able to do for my little brother, and I need him to be proud.

Sifting through 38 years of pictures this weekend has made one thing abundantly clear; Eric Nadeau was surrounded by so much love, from the moment he was born, February 17th, 1986.

As I write this, images are scattered across my parents' living room floors of him being cradled, snuggled, riding on shoulders, perched on laps, celebrated at parties, kissed on the forehead, head thrown back with laughter. There are lobsters and bicycles and campfires and sandcastles and water-wings and those ridiculous little paper crowns found in Christmas crackers. There is Star Wars Lego, Sony Walkmans, oversized t-shirts, Easter egg hunts, Mickey Mouse ears and Lord of the Rings movie marathons. There are shots of him proudly sporting technicolor Timbits jerseys, Whalers hockey sweaters, Bandits Lacrosse gear and a Brightwood polo in which he would definitely want me to make clear, he once shot a hole-in-one. He loved all of his sports and his teammates, but a particular fondness was reserved for Dartmouth Spartans football. That black and gold letterman jacket was carted around dutifully, even in the most difficult of his life's circumstances. There are countless pictures of a teenage Eric, mugging shamelessly for the camera with Shawn, Sam, Keegan, Joey, Adam, Sacha, and Caitlin or with our treasured family friends, at our little cottage on Lake Charlotte, ski hills, beaches, and around warm dinner tables. The Jardine, MacIntyre, Briggs and Miller families in particular were part of our most cherished family memories, and it is those memories that we try to drift back to, when we close our eyes and imagine our Eric.

Eric’s trademarks were his contagious smile, chatty nature, love of people, distinctive style and irreverent sense of humor. Even in later years, he held on to these parts of himself, and would often surprise us with unexpected words of wisdom, a thoughtful gift or a new sense of perspective. Anyone who knew him or our family knew that he struggled desperately with addiction, and no one was harder on him than he ultimately was on himself. I would be remiss here to not honor the strength, grief and sacrifices of my parents. To say that they did everything they could to save their beloved son would be an unforgivable understatement. Their unconditional love and support for my brother never wavered, as they clung to memories of the little boy in homemade, flannel penguin jammies, and the undying hope that the sky is always darkest before the dawn.

Eric is survived by his Mom, Kim (Peter) Johnson of Masstown, NS, his Dad, Serge Nadeau (Ann Perry), of East Jeddore, NS, his sister Danielle Nadeau (Blair Cameron), of Dartmouth, NS, as well as Grammy (Stephanie Langlois-Alburger), Uncle Marc Nadeau, cousins Emilie and Sylvie

Nadeau, and many aunts, uncles and cousins spread across Canada. Lastly, his most cherished and loyal friend, Shawn Harris, whose kindness and support to Eric over these last 30 years will never be forgotten.

It is customary here to list the people who were predeceased by Eric. We choose to look at it differently. He is currently being being cradled, snuggled, riding on shoulders, perched on laps, celebrated at parties, and kissed on the forehead by his Grandad (Robert Langlois), Grand-Papa and Grand-Maman (Sauveur and Jeanne D'Arc Nadeau), and his sweet Baba (Julie Kiersta). Also Gussie. Obviously.

In lieu of flowers, we have a few options to consider; A constant in Eric’s life was his unwavering compassion and affection for animals. From our beloved family lab Gus, to an orphaned baby squirrel he once carted home in a Foot Locker box, creatures large and small gave him a sense of comfort and purpose, even in his darkest days. We think that any donation made in his name to either The Nova Scotia SPCA or Hope for Wildlife would give him great pride. Other fitting ways to pay tribute to Eric include watching Star Wars, reading Tolkein, or offering a genuine, kind smile to someone on the street who looks particularly down on their luck.

There will be a Celebration of Life held at A.L Mattatall Funeral Home, 217 Portland St. on Thursday, January 16th from 3-7 PM. Following this, anyone wishing to raise a pint to Eric is welcome to join friends and family at Celtic Corner Public House, 69 Alderney Drive.

Finally, while we are struggling with the fact that Eric left this world prematurely, it is hard not to picture his wry, boyish grin, a backwards baseball cap, and a single, raised eyebrow, as he reminds us of the following;

“A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.”

-Gandalf