Erica Rachelle Arnold

Erica Rachelle Arnold, formerly of Largo and Clarksburg, Maryland, died on March 5, 2021, at her home in Coral Springs, Florida, after courageously living with brain cancer for two years. She is a 1992 graduate of Key School in Annapolis, Maryland, and was graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1996 with a degree in sociology. Soon after college, she began working as a data analyst for Westat, a professional services corporation that provides research services to organizations, where she was a valued employee until 2019, when she was no longer able to work. Erica met Keith Lester in 2000, and they were together for nineteen years before getting married on March 1, 2019. In July 2020, they made their home in Coral Springs, Florida.

Always open to new experiences, Erica cultivated her creativity with dancing, sewing, cooking, and craft classes. She loved quilting and shopping for fabric, experimenting with colors and shapes. She enjoyed the serenity of nature, exploring National Parks, beaches, and islands, but she also liked the excitement of Las Vegas, casinos, and shows. She took great pleasure in traveling and fell in love with Hawaii on her honeymoon trip. A supporter of animal rights, she doted on her beloved rescue cats. Family and friends were central in her life, and she always looked forward to family reunions and holidays. She will be remembered as a kind, loving soul who lived with enthusiasm.

Erica was cremated March 12, and her cremains will be emplaced in the Neptune Memorial Reef off the coast of Key Biscayne, Florida, where she will continue to create “life after life”.

She is survived by husband Keith Dale Lester of Coral Springs, FL; parents Laurence & Sheila Arnold of Upper Marlboro, MD; brother Patrick Arnold of Ashboro, NC; uncle and aunt Harold & Franzine Henderson; and other cherished family and friends.