Erica Lynn Wickham

Our family was blessed with Erica when she was born on May 16, 1984 at Fox Memorial Hospital, the daughter of James and Merry Lou Wickham. She quickly became a beloved member of the family with all her siblings wanting to share their time with their new sister. Erica especially enjoyed her brother Jay who spent many hours entertaining her while she was an infant and as she was growing up. She learned many things through interactions with all her siblings.

      As a young girl, Erica was always aware of how others around her felt and this quality served her well. Preferring a quiet environment where she could concentrate, Erica also had the ability to relate well with her family and friends. She was raised with four siblings. Three older brothers: Jay, Steve and Scott and one older sister: Stacie. Erica was constantly involved in activities with her family. She and her siblings had few disagreements while growing up and they deeply cared for each other, sharing many life experiences over the years.

       Erica was one of those children who didn’t need to be in the center of a whirlwind of activity. She was content to entertain herself. Erica was never pushy when it came to games and other activities, but rather, she was able to enjoy the pure fun these could bring. In just about everything she did as a child, Erica was intent on pleasing both the adults and the other children around her.

Erica took part in a number of activities as a child. She enjoyed participating in soccer and loved to dance. She was a girl scout and attended regular Sunday School and church youth group. In her spare time she liked to ride bike, roller skate and play with friends, and she enjoyed reading. Erica's memorable achievements included being chosen for safety patrol and a trip to Washington, D.C.as well as being chosen for all county choir.

       Learning was important to Erica. She always had a great memory and was particularly skilled at retaining factual information. Erica was generally quiet in class, learning best through observation and hands-on activities. She often showed great concentration and was competent at completing the tasks at hand. Good with details, Erica was painstaking and accurate in her efforts. All of these talents culminated in a successful high school career. She graduated from Myrtle Beach High School, South Carolina in 2002. Erica enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite subjects and teachers. She enjoyed art throughout her school career. Her favorite classes in high school were Math and English. The teachers she enjoyed learning from the most were Mrs. Peyton and Mr.Collier in grade school. Erica transitioned very well to Myrtle Beach High School and enjoyed the diversity in the student population she found there. She also enjoyed helping to take care of her grandmother.

      Erica worked hard to meet the challenges of college. In spite of a brain tumor at age 13 which impaired her vision,she always completed projects successfully and on time. In fact, Erica seemed to absorb and remember everything she read. However, not all things came easily to her, but she found success by being diligent and accurate. She was very thorough and labored long and hard in order to reach her goals. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics from Oneonta State in 2006. She also pursued graduate school, earning her Master of Science degree from D'Youville College in Buffalo, NY. She earned scholarships in her undergraduate studies because of successful efforts in her major courses. She also started writing and publishing online nutrition articles while in college.

      Most folks would say that Erica was shy until they got to know her and found her a fun-loving and interesting person. Those who were privileged to know her well learned that she was a faithful friend. Erica was reluctant to generalize about people, and she based her friendships on her personal experiences. Because of this, Erica best trusted those people that she truly knew. She was concerned about how those around her felt, and she always seemed to look for the positive side of people. She could relate to others and had the ability to see their point of view.. The friends that she made, Erica kept. While growing up, some of her best friends were Megan Green, Amy Clark, Jackie Couden, Lindsey Molinari, Katie Gibson. Later in life, she became friends with Hasanai Badar, Margo Graham, Donna and Larry Horton, Cheryl Dobson and Pastors Matt and Jeanette Sassano.

      When given a deadline, Erica would meet it. At work, Erica would remain on task and with diligence see any and all assignments to completion. Her primary occupation was as a registered dietician. She was employed by Sodexo at Saint James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, New York. Her duties included working in the nursing home with dialysis patients and instructing the daycare group in healthy nutrition habits. During that time, Erica excelled in working with small groups in order to complete assignments. She was able to quickly grasp concrete ideas and could organize and plan the best way to accomplish things with remarkable consistency. Erica was good at staying focused and was considerate in listening to what others had to say. In this way, Erica had a true gift for being able to come up with practical solutions to difficult problems. She was often the team member who managed to put forth a win/win solution for all parties.

      Erica liked to experience things first hand, in addition to simply learning about them. This quality influenced her choice of leisure time activities. A methodical and patient worker, she preferred to set aside uninterrupted time to work on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were finding and trying out new recipes and making vacation plans with her parents. Erica was the trip planner, examining all the possibilities and selecting the best and most effective options. She enjoyed travelling with her parents and visiting with siblings, nieces, and nephews on both the east and west coast. She was a sports fan who thoroughly enjoyed watching her niece and nephew play soccer. In addition, she enjoyed her niece's orchestra concerts. Her favorite trips were whale watching with mom and dad, and touring the Keuka Lake wineries.

       An individual who respected and maintained traditional values, her faith was important to Erica. Her compassion, consideration and sympathy toward others was evident in her personal beliefs. She was a member of the First United Presybterian Church in Oneonta, NY and the Fresh Start Church in Hornell, NY. During that time, she was an active participant in the women's religious study group.

      Doing things to help others seemed to come naturally to Erica. She never set out to gain individual recognition, but the praise and accolades given her for her many and varied efforts throughout her life were well-deserved. Some of her most prestigious awards were her entries in Who's Who in both high school and college. Erica also earned scholarships in her undergraduate work.

 Erica loved her llasa apso,, Finley, who was her best friend for 14 years. She was as loyal to Finley as he was to her.

      Erica passed away on December 3, 2015, at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, NY. She had struggled with health issues since age 13. On her last hospital stay she was beginning to show signs of cirrhosis of the liver and she acquired an infection her body was too weak to fight. She is survived by her parents, paternal grandmother, and siblings, nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. A celebration of Erica's life was held at First United Presbyterian Church in Oneonta, officiated by Pastors Matt and Jeanette Sassano from Fresh Start Church in Hornell. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her. Her family believes Heaven has gained another angel.

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Erica L. Wickham, 31, passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at the Bassett Medical Center ICU following a long illness that she fought courageously.

She was born on May 16, 1984 in Oneonta, a daughter of James and Merry Lou (Fuller) Wickham of Oneonta. Erica graduated from Myrtle Beach High School in South Carolina, and went on to earn a degree in Dietetics from SUNY Oneonta. She then obtained her Masters Degree at D’Youville College in Buffalo and earned the distinction of Certified Registered Dietician. She was employed by St. Mercy Hospital in Hornell, New York where she worked in the dialysis unit, with the day care program as well as the nursing home and hospital. She recently had relocated to work at the Susquehanna Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Johnson City, New York. Erica also enjoyed doing research and writing and had published several online nutrition articles.

Erica had a tremendous, unwavering faith in God. While living in Hornell she became a devoted member of the Fresh Start Church, and joined the women's prayer group. She grew up attending the First United Presbyterian (Red Door) Church in Oneonta and became a member.

She was a courageous, determined young woman who overcame many health challenges, beginning in childhood. She was well loved by her parents, family, and friends. Erica inspired many, many people by overcoming her health challenges and persisted in not letting any obstacle slow her down.

Erica is survived by her parents, James and Merry Lou Wickham; her brothers, Jay (Stacy) Conklin, Steve (Barbara) Wickham, and Scott (Michelle) Wickham; her sister, Stacie (Joey) Shepp; and her paternal grandmother, Catherine Wickham. She is also survived by several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was predeceased by her maternal grandparents, James and Eva Fuller, and her paternal grandfather, Ted Wickham.

Friends and family are invited to visit from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at the Bookhout Funeral Home, 357 Main Street, Oneonta, during which time her family will be receiving guests.

A memorial service to celebrate Erica's life will be held at 1 pm on Thursday, December 10, 2015 at the First United Presbyterian Church (Red Door), located on the corner of Walling Ave and Main St in Oneonta, with the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Walton-Leavitt and Reverend Matthew Sassano, Pastor of the Fresh Start Church in Hornell, NY, officiating.

In lieu of flowers, Erica’s family requests that you kindly consider making a donation in her memory to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123.

Her family would also like to extend a very special thank you to the doctors, nurses, and entire staff of the Bassett Medical Center ICU Dept. for the exceptional care and attention that Erica received and for the staff’s compassion and support of the family during this most difficult time.