By Duane Good EDITOR
He was the most unlikely of philanthropists.
He wasn’t born into great material wealth, nor did he give wealth away.
In the end, though, Eric Erdman gave freely of what he did possess in large quantities – his heart.
That young man, and what he gave back, was paid tribute last week in his hometown of Millersburg.
Erdman, who died Aug. 13 from complications of brain cancer, was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in the borough’s north end, following a visitation and funeral service at David’s Community Bible Church, Killinger.
Before and after the service, small aircraft flew over the Millersburg community bearing banners, “Celebrating the Life of Eric Erdman.’’
A ‘Thank You’ to Community
There was, indeed, much to celebrate in the life of this Sentinel-area native, who chose to literally “take a sad song and make it better,’’ as the words of a famous song put it. Erdman had been diagnosed just before his junior year of high school with anaplastic ependymoma, a rare form of brain cancer. Immediately, he and his family felt the collective arms of the region envelope them with support and awareness. In response, Erdman paid forward his Make-A-Wish Foundation endowment, asking that a state-of-the-
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