“I am a part of all that I have met”
Erica Lauren Morton. Born April 13, 1997 in Calgary, Alberta; deceased November 17, 2018, in Calgary, aged 21. Erica’s favourite poem (and tattoo) reflected both her fight to overcome her struggles and a longing to continue to experience more of life and to follow her dreams.
“…I cannot rest from travel; I will drink
Life to the lees. All times I have enjoyed
Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone;
…I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
…Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
(Ulysses by Lord Alfred Tennyson)
Erica was tenacious, spunky, sensitive, caring, funny, and a delight to be around. During good times, she moved towards her goals with determination and focus. She kept her childhood and youth friends close, and made time to visit family in Colorado and Texas. Last year, she brought Beaux, a French Bulldog, into her heart and ours. She was a talented painter who captured nature’s beauty with strong and radiant colors. She often gave away her paintings to bring joy to others and they now serve as happy reminders of Erica. She hated cold weather, and loved sun and sand. She soaked up sun in Mexico, Italy, Hawaii and Texas, and hoped to ditch Canadian winters forever once she finished university.
From her first job at a specialty food store to her work at a pet food store, she was valued by all her employers and co-workers as reliable, honest, hard-working and skilled at interacting with the public. Even in high school, she demonstrated her thoughtfulness, initiative and resourcefulness by taking extra food from her catering job to homeless shelters. She planned to improve opportunities for others and reduce societal inequities through her studies in sociology and women’s studies at Trent University. Erica attended Altadore Elementary and Calgary Girls’ School, and graduated from Central Memorial in 2015.
Erica fully lived her motto "I am a part of all that I have met" through her relationships and experiences. She is survived by her parents, Robert and Nancy; her sister Brianna; her grandparents Bill and Lucille; aunts and uncles Jay, Mara, Janet and Paul; and cousins Cody, Fox, Griffin and Reed. She will always be loved and remembered by us and by her many friends of all ages.
Please join us for a sober celebration of her life and recognition of her struggles on December 8, 2018, from 1:00 to 3:30 pm at Fitzgerald Hall, St. Matthew’s United Church, 2035 – 26A St SW in Calgary.
If desired, donations in Erica’s name may be made to the Sashbear Foundation at www.sashbear.org, a Canadian charity dedicated to education about emotional dysregulation and support of sufferers and their family members.