Eric William Croft, born Sep. 14, 1992 on his grandfather Gordon Croft’s birthday, unexpectedly passed from this life on Jan. 21, 2022. He grew up in South Amherst and went to Amherst primary and middle schools and then to Hopkins Academy in Hadley for high school. He graduated from Wheelock College in Boston with a degree in Communication. He is the son of Pamela Aselton and Bruce Croft of Amherst and leaves his brother Douglas Croft and wife Hanna Bohan of San Francisco mourning his loss. His grandparents were Gordon Aselton (deceased) of South Windsor, Beatrice Aselton and Thomas Wilenski of Venice, Florida and Irene and Gordon Croft (both deceased) of Melbourne, Australia.  Other close family includes his Aunts Penny and Patti Aselton, Paula Dunshee (deceased) and his cousins in Connecticut, Mike, Jordy and Liz.

He was a loving and intuitive person who cared strongly for other people, especially those with challenges. Starting in coffee shops, where he was always the front man interacting with customers, he soon moved on to various jobs in social work helping a range of children and adults. His love for films and comedy kept us all entertained and he did some stand-up in the area a few years back. He was excited to win the 20-dollar prize at Packard’s one night, but in his own self-deprecating way he said it was because the good comics were not there.

He lived in multiple cities since graduating college, including Boston, San Francisco, New York, and Portland, Maine. Eric moved back to Amherst one year ago and most recently worked with people in residential treatment for Service Net in Northampton. He had worked with children with disabilities in Portland and a preschool with autistic children in Boston during college. He was looking forward to moving back to Maine and had accepted a job as a counselor in a day program for people with developmental disabilities.

Eric traveled with his family to many places including Australia, Europe and China and a wonderful western national parks trip when he was in elementary school, although he sometimes complained that he had been too young to remember some of the trips!

Last year, he did a road trip with his girlfriend Kirsten where they went to Nashville and the Carolinas, staying with friends and swimming in the great beaches of Charleston. He loved that trip. He also liked to feel part of a community, such as the summer he spent in New York living near his college buddies and riding his bike through Queens to get to his Brooklyn job, or biking around San Francisco when he stayed with his brother and wife for a summer internship in college.

His life was full of potential but also of struggle. We are proud to have known him and his loss leaves a huge hole in the center of our lives.

There will be a private service and a burial in South Amherst Cemetery.

A memorial page is available to post memories on at www.douglassfuneral.com

Instead of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity that helps people with depression or Children International.

Please remember to be kind to everyone you meet because you never know what they are really going through