IN MEMORIAM Eric Dellenbach’s fight comes to an end
Eric Dellenbach surfing off the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia. Photo courtesy of the Dellenbach family by Mark McDermott Eric Dellenbach’s long, hard-fought battle against the devastating impacts of COVID-19 came to a peaceful end the night before Thanksgiving. The Manhattan Beach native, who lived near Seattle, departed while in the arms of his wife Erika and surrounded by his loved ones. A lifelong dedicated surfer, Dellanbach’s farewell was accompanied by the music of waves crashing. “His family was able to say their goodbyes, [and] our incredibly brave Eri was laying on him, holding him, [and] kissing him as he crossed that finish line, in first place,” wrote his sister-in-law, Sam Schacher, on a GoFundMe page that has knit together a lifetime of Dellenbach’s friends to help his long fight. “As shattered as we all are — it was a send-off fit for a king. Well deserved.” His 11-month fight, which included a lung transplant, and four months in an induced coma, meant that Dellenbach had come to be considered “the sickest COVID patient to ever survive.” On Thanksgiving, his brother Andy Dellenbach expressed gratitude for everyone who had joined in that fight, but also for the fact…
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