Frederic (Eric) Whitney Wu

1999 - 2020

Frederic Whitney Wu – known to all as Eric – died in an automobile accident on September 23, 2020, near his family home in Manchester, VT, where he had been taking remote courses and training for an Ironman Triathlon. He was two weeks shy of his 21st birthday.

Born and raised in New York City, Eric was a junior at Brown University, where he studied computer science, philosophy and comparative religion. Brown will award Eric a posthumous AB at commencement in May 2022. He was a graduate of Saint David's School in Manhattan and Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. Eric was planning to pursue a career in public service, for which he had been in training his entire life, always selflessly reaching out to support friends and strangers alike. Summer activities in recent years included helping underprivileged teenagers; in 2017 he founded a nonprofit that offered substance abuse counseling for high school students.

Eric was a perennial honor-roll student, universally admired and recognized for his keen intellect, dedication to academics and generosity of spirit. As a prefect and scholar, he was the de facto go-to man who helped struggling students. He was known to set a standard of excellence that inspired the best out of others. To friends and family, he was "Extra-Mile Eric", always a deep thinker and humble to a fault. He exhibited sportsmanship, grace and prowess on the squash court, track and golf course. He celebrated the great outdoors through his love of long-distance running, biking, mountaineering and cruising through the Green Mountains atop his beloved Harley Davidson.

Eric's interests knew no bounds. First and foremost, he was an explorer, always seeking to push beyond the boundaries of mind and body. He spent the summer of 2019 in Tibet and Nepal, visiting monasteries, probing and embracing the tenets of Buddhism while trekking across the Himalayas. He was always searching, his active mind seeking answers beyond the obvious.

Eric is survived by his parents, Douglas L. and Hope Whitney Wu of New York City and Manchester, VT; older brother Philip M. Wu; grandmothers, Seraphine C. Wu and Jane R. Whitney; uncles and aunts, Christopher and Catherine Welles and Brian and Tatania King, extended family and countless close friends. A memorial celebration will be announced. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Saint David's School directed to the Frederic Whitney Wu Memorial Fund. The family gratefully acknowledges the outpourings of comfort offered through remembrances of Eric and encourages sharing these stories on Eric's Facebook Memorial.

All who encountered Eric knew him to be quietly exceptional. In just 20 years, he left his mark and lived a lifetime of good. Forever young, he will be missed.