Eric Henry Brickley

Eric Henry Brickley, 54, of Lumberton, died Saturday, May 25, 2019 at Christus Hospital-St. Elizabeth, Beaumont. He was born in Beaumont on April 13, 1965 to Lucy Ruth Law Brickley and Harold Leo Brickley and was a United States Navy veteran.

Eric lived in Beaumont till his father was transferred for work and took his family with him to Singapore where they lived for 3 years.  Upon returning the family decided to establish a new home in Lumberton and so Eric graduated from high school there in 1984 and soon afterward enlisted in the navy serving for 4 years. He was awarded a Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Letter of Commendation and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. Like so many of the men and women who chose to serve, he returned not physically wounded but terribly scarred just the same.  This was something he faced just as stoically as any of the other obstacles that presented to him throughout his life. In spite of this fact, he could not have been more proud of the time he spent in the service and as an added bonus it afforded him the opportunity to bond with his father on a level that they both shared. When he returned home he settled in Lumberton and began his new job as an operator at the City of Beaumont water department.  Eric started many lasting deep friendships there and we can only wish that they know how much that meant to him. He continued to work in this position for 26 years up until the day of his death.

In his personal life, when he came home he had a wife in tow and as usually happens became a father.  This to him was to be the pinnacle of his life. This little girl quickly became what drove everything he did. No one ever had more pictures or videos on their phone of their kid nor would you find anyone more insistent that you view every last one and derive as much joy from them as he got.  His all encompassing adoration of this child was fascinating to watch unfold as she grew from an infant to where she is today and it became increasingly impossible to keep from being drawn in with him as he experienced the wonder of a growing child. As difficult a task of adjusting to his death will be for us to endure, his absence from her life will certainly be the hardest thing to witness in years to come.

Explaining who Eric was as a child is much more of a challenge.  Maybe imagining a mixture of the Snoopy cartoon character Pig Pen and Dennis the Menace and throw in a few of the guys from The Little Rascals you might be able to conjure a similar character in your mind’s eye.  His older sisters lovingly assigned him the nickname of ‘Eek’ which in hindsight worked really well as he was seemingly always dirty, forever getting into jaw dropping mischief and displaying a never satisfied curiosity of the mechanical workings of anything to the point of destruction.  These descriptions were as much a part of him as that silly grin he never lost. Dirty is more or less self explanatory if you take it to extremes, mischief might be explained as taking the garden hose and filling up the car with water and curiosity would be taking a sisters bike apart then putting it back but leaving out all the ‘extra’ pieces.  If it had any screws to be removed, it WAS NOT safe. He sure kept mom’s attention directed his way and that is no small feat when there are five other kids also trying to make their voices heard.

Getting through school presented him with some issues but his determination and perseverance gifted him with the path that allowed him to reach that goal. I can only address my interactions and observations as I was out of the house as he got older but it seems that in high school he had little problems finding girls to date.  In fact as I think more on it maybe I should say that that ability probably at times did cause him considerable problems. His sisters tend to be up to their hips in the extreme end of animal rescue, occasionally to their own detriment, and he did the same with people and more often than not with the same calamitous results. But these experiences failed to change him or slow him down.  He was without fail who he was till the end. However that just really speaks to the fact that he did have a kind, open and giving heart. In the end all he ever wanted was to be liked and respected for who he was as a son, brother, husband, father and uncle. And to that I say my dear brother…well done.

I am going to take the liberty of declaring as an irrefutable fact that most who crossed into his life found an unsophisticated but at the same time complex man.  He was not at any time what is called high maintenance. Eric much preferred to blend into the background as opposed to standing out in the crowd. That was just where he was most comfortable.  Try as he might to camouflage his presence, you could always feel him back there. That was comforting and somewhat amusing because he was no chameleon. His family and true friends never had to question the fact that he cherished having them in his life and he always made sure there was room for someone new.  There is no replacement for him and our lives are diminished by the fact that we will never be able to laugh with him again or ask for his help with all the things he could do or was willing to try to do for us or get mad at him for being such a supreme dolt about somethings or thank him for just being there for us or just stand there looking into his eyes for no other reason than that we just wanted to see him because he deserved that much from us.  For everything you did in your life, brother, I hope you know that we could not be more proud, love you more nor want you to be anything different that what you were.

Survivors include his mother, Ruth Law Brickley of Lumberton; daughter, Heaven Leigh Brickley of Orangefield; sisters, Bonnie Blackman and her husband, Bob, of China; Mary Clare Brickley of Beaumont; and Bootsie Baker and her husband, Melvin and Bridget Canady and her husband, Gordon, all of Lumberton; nieces and nephews, Heather McGown, Chris Mickle, Shannon McGown, Lee Blackman, Jessica Dorsey, Sara Herrington-Olson, Reid Todd, (godson) Keaton Baker, Jude Canady, and Carsyn Canady, and a host of relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by his father, Harold Leo Brickley and brother, Robert Harold Brickley.

A gathering of Mr. Brickley’s family and friends will begin at 9:00 a.m. with his funeral service to follow at 11:00 a.m., Saturday June 1, 2019 at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A private committal will be held at Broussard’s Crematorium.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8517.

                                                                               In loving memories…Always!

                                                                            Mary Clare Brickley, a big sister