Eric CROTTY

CROTTY, Eric 2000-2018 On a rainy Sunday afternoon last weekend, our beautiful son, Eric, left his home in N.D.G. to clear his head but tragically never returned. He took his own life after suffering from social anxiety for three years. He was 17 years old. Eric was surrounded by a family who adored him and teachers and classmates who enjoyed his good nature, humour and lovely smile. Despite this, his mental illness left him feeling lonely and isolated from his peers. He grew up in a wonderful N.D.G. community of great family, friends and neighbours. He attended Willingdon School, where he loved and excelled at math and geography, and shared Sheldon Cooper's obsession with flags. During his high school years at Collège de Montréal, Eric developed a passion for running, excelled at orienteering and became an accomplished math tutor. In Secondary 4, he developed an acute case of social anxiety that inhibited his ability to socialize. He doggedly fought his illness and accepted all forms of help and treatment available to him. With the support of his teachers and classmates, he graduated last spring and moved on to Marianopolis College to begin what he hoped would be a happier chapter in his life. He joined the Reach for the Top trivia team and helped his team earn a spot in the Canadian championships later this month. He returned home enthused about all he had learned in his science and music classes and mused about studying chemistry in university. He was a member of the Montreal Ramblers orienteering club and played the Irish sport of hurling for the Montreal Shamrocks. He was making plans for the future and was excited to vote for the first time in this fall's provincial election. On most days, Eric was a happy young man with a ready smile and a great sense of humour. He was making progress tackling his social anxiety, but the loneliness and isolation he periodically felt became too much for him. This wonderful, sweet young man will be desperately missed by his parents, Niall Crotty and Katherine Wilton, and his sister Sarah. He will be forever cherished by his grandmothers, Pat Wilton and Noreen Crotty, along with his aunts Naomi and Kelly Wilton, his uncle David Walker and his cousins Ryan Walker and Max Mital. He had a great relationship with his relatives from Ireland, including his father's 10 siblings, their spouses and his many cousins from Cork to Belfast. Eric was predeceased by his grandfathers Garth Wilton and Dr. Thomas Crotty, and his uncle Bruno Mital. A visitation will be held on Friday, May 11, between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Kane & Fetterly, 5301 Decarie Blvd., Montreal. His funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 12, at 3:30 p.m. at Wesley United Church, 5964 Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Avenue, Montréal. In lieu of flowers, donations in Eric's name can be made to the Fondation CHU Sainte-Justine. The foundation runs Espace Transition, a social reintegration program for youth with mental health problems. Messages and condolences can be shared at www.alavida.ca on the "celebrations" page.