Eric von Stritzky

Eric Sven Christian von Stritzky, 63, of Southgate, Michigan, passed away June 27, 2025. Beloved brother of Verena, Boris (Jackie), and Amy (Bob) Peplowski, uncle to Carl (Alysha) and nephew to Alice (Micky), he was predeceased by his parents, Gisela (2012) and Olaf (2022).

Eric was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada on December 8, 1961. The family moved to Trenton Michigan in 1967, where he attended Foley and Hedke Elementary schools, and later what was then Monguagon Middle school. After graduating from Trenton High School in 1980, Eric worked several jobs in the Downriver area, before enlisting in the US Navy in September 1982. He was on active duty until April 1986 and was on reserve duty until July 1988. He served on the USS Okinawa and was stationed at N.A.S. Sigonella in Sicily for about 17 months. Upon returning to the US, after a time, he lived in Vermont, working for IBM for about a year, and then moved back to Sicily for about 2 years. He was married briefly while in Sicily. Upon his return to the US, he worked at Ford Motor Company for a time before undergoing training to drive transport trucks. He criss-crossed the country working for various trucking companies on and off for about 10 years.

Eric was a curious, adventurous and independent person. When he was about two, his dad took him along to the barber shop to get a haircut. After Eric’s hair had been cut, he became bored with waiting for his dad to be finished and decided to go home. It wasn’t very far, but it did involve crossing a major street with lots of traffic, and he had not yet grasped the concept of traffic lights. One can imagine the heart-pounding fear of his parents – his dad upon discovering Eric’s disappearance, his mom upon his arrival at home where he explained that “there were lots of cars, but they all stopped for me.” Because of his curiosity and penchant for just going off to explore whatever caught his interest, his mom resorted to a harness and long lead tied to the swing set in their backyard or the clothesline to ensure he did not run off and endanger himself in his toddler years. A fond memory his older siblings have is of the time their dad took them to the local Santa Claus parade, when Eric was just about three. As there wasn’t any snow yet, Santa arrived by helicopter. Eric excitedly reported to his mom that “Santa came in a happy cup!”

Eric battled mental illness for the last 35 years with the support of his family, and the VA hospital in Ann Arbor. He considered his doctors and caregivers at the VA his family as well. Despite the many challenges he faced, he was a loyal and caring son and brother. He never forgot to send birthday or Christmas cards, visited his parents often and stayed in regular phone contact with his aunts and siblings. He never complained and always tried to put a cheerful spin on every situation.

He helped to found and volunteered with a singles group in the Downriver area for many years, organizing functions for the members. He was a proud member of NAMI and attended regular meetings there. After the death of his mom, he helped his dad with various tasks around the house, including mowing the lawn, clearing snow in winter, and some housekeeping. When Covid19 broke out, he visited his dad almost daily, isolating himself to protect his father. When his dad’s health declined and he was hospitalized, Eric was at his bedside and cheering him on every day from morning until night.

As Eric requested, he has been cremated. His ashes will be interred at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 18th, when his family will hold a memorial service to remember Eric.