NORWICH – Erica Knudson Eckhardt of Summit, N.J., passed away unexpectedly on November 13, 2006.
She was devoted to her children, Bryan, Andrew, and Christine, whom she cared for unconditionally. As the wife of 36 years to her husband, Gary, she was a loyal and supportive companion.
The only child of Martha and the late Louis Knudson of Norwich, she enjoyed a close relationship with her mother.
A passionate dog lover - perhaps the most vivid marker of her kind and sensitive nature - she also was an athlete, beginning with her childhood spent horseback riding to her past membership on the Beacon Hill women’s ice hockey program and her recent years running in numerous 5K charity runs.
Erica graduated from Norwich High School, Norwich, and pursued nursing degrees at Russell Sage College and Boston University. She held an RN, Masters of Science, and CCRN certification. Dedicated to her profession as a cardiac critical care nurse, while working in the 1970’s with Adrian Kantrowitz, MD. as he pioneered work with the intra-aortic balloon pump, she published articles on the nursing care implications of this groundbreaking device. Following a 20 year sabbatical to raise her family, Erica returned to nursing in 2003 at Morristown Memorial Hospital’s Cardiac Surgery Recovery Unit (CPACU). She was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Summit, N.J., having served in the past as Sunday School Superintendent and a teacher. She was an active past member of the Summit Junior League.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Summit, N.J. A reception in the church hall will immediately follow the service. Erica’s ashes will be buried on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.
In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged for Family Promise, 71 Summit Avenue, Summit, N.J. 07901, formerly known as Interfaith Hospitality Network of Union County, and Cheshire Home, 9 Ridgedale Avenue, Florham Park, N.J. 07932.
Arrangements by the William R. Dangler Funeral Home, 309 Springfield Ave., Summit, N.J.