Erin E. Black

Erin Elizabeth Black was a vibrant, passionate, loving person. She was born January 10, 1976, on a snowy day in Burns, Oregon. She left this world on March 8, 2023, on a snowy spring day in Newberg, Oregon at the age of 47. She passed from complications of dementia and seizure activity. Please join us for a Celebration of Life on April 1, 2023, at 2pm at: Nut Tree Ranch Club House 2902 E. 2nd Street, Newberg Oregon Erin was born to Ruth and Gordon Black, joining her two older sisters, Tami and Kerri. Her little sister, Corrie, joined the family just over two years later. Erin was raised in Eastern Oregon. In her early years she provided her big sisters the opportunity to actively engage in helping her to learn the early skills in life. She was like a living doll that we could play with as she learned to sit, walk and communicate using sign language. Our family was very involved in Erin’s education and assisted her throughout her schooling as she learned to write, read, type and speak clearly. Erin carpooled with Dad from Crane to Burns so she could be involved in early childhood education which she enjoyed very much. As she continued her education (our family moved to Burns), she went to Slater Elementary School where she accepted the support of her fellow students to tie her shoes and put her coat on, etc., EVEN THOUGH she could do it all by herself. She obviously didn’t want to rob them of the opportunity to help her! Erin went to Lincoln Junior High and Burns High School and had many wonderful support aides. Those aids (Karen, Sharon and Becky) and a favorite teacher (Mrs. Reed) came to Erin’s birthday celebrations for years. Her birthday was her favorite ‘holiday’ of all right up until her 46th birthday. She would start counting down the days to her next birthday the day following her current celebration. Erin’s early years were filled with community activities such as being a Girl Scout Brownie and going to AWANAS and Church at Faith Baptist Church where she enjoyed using sign language as she sang. (She continued this throughout her life and when her speech became more infrequent this last year she would still use sign language to communicate.) During the summers Erin took swimming lessons and participated in the Swim Team, enduring freezing early morning practices and long travels to meets. The Meets were a family adventure and Erin enjoyed cheering her sister, Corrie, on as well. Erin participated in various sports through Special Olympics. She started at 6 years old with Bowling and Track and Field. Her Mom, Ruth, started the Harney County Special Olympics program and was the coordinator for years. Her Dad, Gordon, drove the bus and supervised the boys on out-of-town competitions. In Junior High she added Cross County Skiing to her repertoire. While Erin didn’t love snow she dressed warmly and succeeded in learning this new sport. She worked hard, got stronger and won medals! Once Erin moved to the Willamette Valley she joined the Basketball, Bowling, Swimming and Bocce Ball teams. She enjoyed being part of the teams and made many new friends. Swimming was by far her favorite, and she excelled at it. The highlight of the Special Olympics Annual State Competition was the dinner and dance for Erin. Of course, she enjoyed the competition but always waited eagerly to start the dance. This became a family event that her sisters tried to attend to support her, and Erin loved showing off her skills. Outside of Special Olympics Erin continued to swim at the local pool. Her provider, Jessica, was instrumental in keeping Erin active with swimming, taking her three times a week. Erin insisted that Jessica send Kerri a snapshot of the lap stats off her watch each day, and she had every right to be proud as she would often swim for an hour straight (up to 3000 meters an hour)! In High School Erin learned employment skills. She worked at McDonalds, then at the City of Hines Mayor’s office where she typed addresses on envelopes and did general office tasks. After she graduated she worked with Vocational Rehabilitation to purchase a commercial shredder and worked at Harney County Federal Credit Union shredding documents and doing general cleaning. She also worked for Harney County Court House shredding paper. She enjoyed going from office to office to gather the paper, but her highlight of the day was ‘break time’ with the staff. They included her by sharing their treats and engaging her in the conversation. After working, she would take the bus to Curves to work out. Erin moved to Newberg in 2006 and utilized Vocational Rehabilitation again to find a job. She worked at a private business in McMinnville doing general cleaning and watering plants. Then she worked through Mid-Valley (Now MV Advancements) and joined their ADEC supported employment enclave in Newberg. She also worked at Mid-Valley in a sheltered workshop in McMinnville before going to Goodwill in McMinnville. She enjoyed working at Goodwill as she was able to work on the floor and talk with customers in addition to being in the back organizing items. She retired from work when Oregon closed the sheltered work programs as she didn’t want to travel to Salem (at the time that was her only option through Goodwill). Erin lived with family between attempting to live independently twice. She moved in with Kerri in Dundee in 2006. At home Erin enjoyed listening to music and was able to name any artist on the County Music radio and could sing most of their songs. She watched County Music videos and danced for hours. She also subscribed to country magazines and the TV Guide and read them cover to cover as soon as they arrived. At one point Erin watched game shows and it was impressive how much she learned, she especially enjoyed the word games and could problem solve answers like a contestant. Erin was very helpful at home with doing household chores and assisting with making her meals. She took pride in her self-care and made it a priority to get her manicures and pedicures done. She loved to highlight her hair and likely would have done it monthly if she could have! Erin had several great providers to assist her in the home and community: Jessica assisted her for over 13 years and became like a sister to her. She was a constant source of support and encouraged Erin to get out and about and to meet new people. Erin had other providers come and go, each playing a vital role in her continued growth. Claudine was her provider for a couple of years until she moved recently. Claudine had Erin’s heart, Erin adored her and Claudine could get the best smiles from her. They were able to stay in touch via FaceTime and Claudine’s visits. Von was Erin’s newest provider, and she was a gift from God. Von came at a time when Kerri and Ruth could no longer provide the physical care 24/7 that Erin needed. Von came with strength and love and brought happiness and laughter to Erin (and tremendous support to help Kerri). In 2014, as Erin’s needs continued to increase her sister, Kerri, was able to provide full time support at home. Kerri and Erin were able to enjoy many outings, like going to concerts and plays, and exploring a world outside of Oregon. They took trips to sunny places that Erin enjoyed, although it often rained and snowed once they got there. Erin got to see race cars in Daytona, and theme parks in Orlando; She enjoyed Sedona, Flagstaff, and the Grand Canyon in Arizona; She embraced the sun in Maui, O’ahu, and the Big Island of Hawaii, and she tolerated the rain in Lana’i. The first of the Hawaii visits was so Erin could swim with the Dolphins, a lifelong dream of hers. Trips to California and Idaho to visit Erin’s sister Tami and going on their family vacations were also fun adventures. Erin continued to love her interactions with Tami’s kids as they grew and even had Gracie provide supports for her one summer where they grew quite close. Erin loved being with Corrie’s boys and attending events and celebrations with her family. Erin delighted in her niece and nephews, loving on them as much and as often as she could. In 2019 Erin stopped traveling on adventures due to her dementia. She experienced confusion and feared leaving home. She was able to continue traveling to see family for a few more years though as those were recognizable places. Erin experienced a lot of love in her lifetime, from her family and friends to her personal relationships. She enjoyed the early infatuation of new love and the heartache of loss. Through it all she found the good in others and forgave easily. Erin had many ‘favorites’ in life, she didn’t see the need to rate them, they were all her FAVORITE. Dancing, Dolphins, Sunny days, County Music, tie-dye, and movies. In her last few years she watched the Avengers Civil War and Hairspray nearly all day EVERY day. She loved OSU Beavers (and anything Black and Orange), Sunsets, Waterfalls, and Swimming. In her youth she loved riding her tandem bike with her dad, and her 4-wheel bike. Erin especially loved going to Dutch Bros coffee and made quite the impact on the baristas that she interacted with several times a week. They became a special community for her, they knew her order even down to getting an ORANGE straw! They cherished her, gave her Dutch Bros tee-shirts and engaged her in conversation. Erin loved life, loved to laugh and be silly, loved to dance and loved to spread happiness. Erin is survived by her loving parents, Ruth and Gordon Black, her three sisters: Tami (TJ) Pilchard, niece Gracie and nephews Drew (Amy Faith) and Jackson; Kerri Black; Corrie (Keith) Rofinot, and nephews Seeley and Isaac. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, A. Gordon and Edith Black, and Arthur and Pauline Everly, her niece Victoria Ruth Pilchard, and her Aunt Yvonne Everly. Erin filled our lives with joy, love, happiness and beautiful smiles. She will be missed tremendously, until we meet again.

Erin E. Black

January 10, 1976 - March 8, 2023