Erwin Richard Elber

1945 - 2025

Erwin Richard Elber

November 12, 1945 - February 26, 2025

Pikesville, Maryland - On February 26, 2025, Erwin Richard Elber passed away from complications related to Alzheimer's disease. He was 79.

Born November 12, 1945, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, the son of Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors, Erwin emigrated to New York City, New York by ship, arriving in June 1949 after spending three years in a Displaced Persons camp in Linz, Austria called Bindermichel. HIAS (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) gave them a room in the Lower East Side for six months and within a year they moved to Sunnyside, Queens where Erwin lived with his parents, Gerson and Regina, and his younger brother Mark.

A prodigious student from early on, Erwin excelled at school, graduating at the age of sixteen from NY's Stuyvesant high school and subsequently Franklin & Marshall College before attending Tufts Medial School where he trained to be an otolaryngologist. In 1974, following completion of his five-year residency, Erwin moved south with his first wife, Bonnie Glassman, and young children, Niles Andrew and Caitlin Michele, so he could serve in the United States Army. Stationed in Fort Stewart, Georgia outside Savannah, Erwin obtained the rank of major and was the base's chief medical officer. Following his discharge from the military, Erwin began practicing medicine in Savannah and shortly thereafter moved to Monroe, North Carolina where he lived, built a medical practice, and was an important part of the community for 25 years. In 1994, he married Bonnie Bolno, and together they moved to New Mexico where Erwin practiced until retirement. They subsequently moved back to Towson, Maryland to be close to family.

Erwin's passion was bike riding. Rooms in his house were often filled with bikes and the tools to fix them. Track bikes, off road, recumbent and road racers, Erwin mastered all of them. He was also an accomplished runner, an outdoor enthusiast, an exceptional chess player and a voracious reader. Erwin was a foodie long before it was fashionable and a better than average chef. He had a wicked sense of humor, dearly loved his children and grandchildren and was generous to a fault. He loved walking his dogs, Maigret, Sadie, Lucky, Gus, Stella and Max.

Erwin is survived by his wife Bonnie, children Niles (Sherry) and Caitlin (Dan), his brother Mark (Shoshana) five grandchildren, Allie, Ryan, Hailey, Jack, Lucy and his nephew, Lev. He is also survived by stepchildren Ashli Medeiros (Corey Levitt) and Jeremy Medeiros (Veronica) and their children Aaron, Sam, Francis, Cade and Grady. He will be deeply missed.

A service celebrating Erwin's life will be held at the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation (7401 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21208) on March 23, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, people are encouraged to make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association or Sierra Club.