Eric Nutzhorn

Eric Nutzhorn

Eric Nutzhorn was born to proud parents, Scott and Brenda, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, on May 03, 1987.  Eric moved with his family to Creston in 1991 and was proud to call Creston home for the majority of his life.  He attended primary school at A.R.E.S. and secondary school at Prince Charles Secondary.  Eric played on many sports teams, including baseball and hockey, and loved to golf and go fishing.  He made countless friends through school and sports along his journey.  You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn’t have a good thing to say about him and his gentle demeanour and witty humour.  At 15, Eric made the Cranbrook Bandits AA American Legion Baseball team.  He enjoyed five seasons with the team and was a big part of the team’s winningest season in his last year.  He also played ball in College with the Lethbridge Dawgs of the Prairie Baseball Academy for 2.5 years before moving on to NCAA Division 1 Baseball playing for North Dakota State University.  He played for the Bison for three seasons and played summer ball in the offseason for the Moose Jaw Millers of the Western Major Baseball League.  In July 2010, Eric’s baseball career was tragically cut short due to a brain tumour that was affecting his vision and balance.  He had surgery in August of 2010 and spent two months recovering in rehab.  Eric had to learn to walk, write and use his motor skills all over again.  He took 2011 off from school to recover, but it didn’t keep him off the ball field.  He helped coach at the P.B.A. in Lethbridge from February to April that year.  With a determined spirit, he returned to N.D.S.U. that fall and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Sport and Recreation Leadership, graduating on the Dean’s List.  After University, he moved back to Creston in 2012 with his parents and landed a great job as a personal trainer at the Rec Center.  He suffered another setback when a brain bleed occurred, and he was rushed to Foothills Hospital, where he defied the odds and pulled through.  Afterwards, it was too hard to continue on his career path. 

After a diagnosis of glioblastoma later that year, Eric was told his life expectancy would be 15 to 18 months after treatment.  He defied the odds again, making it past that prognosis for over seven years.  During those years, Eric was a dedicated volunteer with T.A.P.S., making a difference in the lives of many seniors.  He took up curling, played slow-pitch, and hauled many rainbow trout out of Kootenay Lake.  Eric was at the gym 4 to 5 days a week until the last month of his life.  After a recurrence of his cancer aggressively affected his spine, Eric sadly struck out, but he sure went down swinging.  Eric leaves behind his parents, Scott and Brenda, and countless friends and relatives.  We will forever miss him.

Celebration of Life

Saturday, June 1, 2024, 1:00 PM

Creston & District Community Complex - Creston Room 

In place of flowers, friends and family

wishing to make a memorial contribution may do so to

T.A.P.S

230 19 Ave N, Creston, BC V0B 1G5

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