ERIC ALLEN EDLUND was born to J. Gordon and Bessie W. Edlund on January 16, 1944 in Chehalis, Washington. He was delivered in the elevator of the Chehalis Hospital and his life was a series of ups and downs after that. The family lived in Grays Harbor County, and eventually settled in Hoquiam.

When he was a 17-year old high school junior, Eric enlisted in the US Naval Reserve. Upon graduating from Hoquiam High School, he enrolled at Washington State University (GO COUGS!) and studied Communications. After graduating from WSU in 1966, Eric received a commission as Ensign in the US Navy.

He married his college classmate Ann Louise Lindh in 1967. The first night they were married, a lot of their clothes (including Eric's navy uniform) were stolen out of their car, which the hotel staff had left parked on the street. Their first home was Newport, Rhode Island where Eric was stationed. He would serve aboard three ships and at two shore stations during his naval career - to California, Washington State, and Virginia. Their two sons were born in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Eric separated from active duty in 1976 and the family returned to the Seattle area, settling in Redmond. Eric worked in the Seattle marine industry for over 20 years in various management roles, and for the Port of Skagit County as Harbormaster.

In 1985 he became an instant cowboy with the accidental purchase of a horse at an Arthritis Foundation auction. Ironically, the horse was later diagnosed with arthritis. He loved baseball and became involved in the Northwest Baseball Umpires Association, umpiring school, amateur, adult league and semi-pro baseball games throughout the Seattle area. He was a lifetime member of the WSU Alumni Association and on the Board of Trustees of the WSU Foundation.

Eric began a new adventure in 1998 when he purchased the Texas Smokehouse Bar-B-Q, a funky barbecue joint in Woodinville. The dining room walls were covered with Texas license plates and WSU memorabilia.

In 2007, Eric was diagnosed with renal cell cancer which he fought bravely for four years. He passed away peacefully at age 67 on Monday, July 11, 2011 at Mission Healthcare at Bellevue with his loving family by his side. The family wishes to thank Peter B. Schock, MD and Nicholas Kovach, MD for their years of compassionate care, treatment and support.

Eric is survived by his wife Ann, sons Ande Kristopher and Arne David and daughter-in-law Heather, his brother Ian Edlund of Olympia, and a very anti-social cat named Rocky. He had a terrific sense of humor, enjoyed cooking, loved WSU, and genuinely cared about others.