Eric Kingston

1969 - 2019

Eric Kingston March 5, 1969 - March 12, 2019 SAN DIEGO Eric loved to drive fast on his many off-road motorcycles. He was only constrained when broken bones prevented him from enjoying his favorite sport. Family lore has Eric involved in many scrapes, close calls and disasters. After one dirt bike crash he drove himself to the hospital, and was concerned only that the nurse didn't cut off his new riding pants, and that she take care of his dog still in his parked truck. He started racing off-road when he was 10, and he died 40 years later in a freak solo ride. Eric was celebrating his 50th birthday, sharing the week-end in the desert with his sons Camron,19, and Chase, for Chase's 15th birthday with their many friends. After Eric crashed he was helicoptered to Palomar Medical Center, where doctors were unable to save him due to his irreversible brain injury.Charles Eric Kingston was born March 5, 1969 and died March 12, 2019. Eric was the youngest of the four children of Patti and Allan Kingston, but he never let birth order get in the way of joining his older siblings in adventures. With his enormous, sweet smile and intense green eyes, Eric charmed his way into many hearts. He lived all his adult life in the San Diego area. His "family" included many biking and boating friends who joined him and the boys on his trips to the desert and to the Colorado River. There were many happy times in the desert riding dirt bikes, quads and dune buggies. Camron and Chase have memories of the care, concern, and laughter with those Eric loved. He was always available to assist others solving problems and was there to help a friend. He had a big heart.Not really with an academic bent, Eric after high school graduation started as an apprentice learning the plumbing trade. He eventually focused on the water purification system industry, where he had many friends and associates. His colleagues considered him the "best of the best" in designing and installing clean water systems. He was a numbers guy with a bent toward the mechanical, and always worked at warp speed.Eric married Casey Zalpis and they had two sons, Camron and Chase. Eric loved being a father and the boys meant everything to him. He was deeply proud of the fine young men that his sons were becoming. It was natural that as soon as each was big enough they would have their own motorcycles. He was adamant about safety equipment and insisted that they wear it or "they could not ride". In 2003 the quick spreading Cedar Fire destroyed the Family's Harbison Canyon home. Eric was assertive in working with insurance adjusters, assessors, politicians, and local officials and became one of the first owners to rebuild. Similarly, when his new pickup truck was flattened by a stolen National Guard tank, his persistence with the State of California paid off, and he was quickly reimbursed.Eric rehabbed a house in Palo Verde on the Colorado River. Friends often gathered at the river to share in water adventures as he introduced his sons to jet boats, jet skis, and other river toys.Survivors include his sons, Chase and Camron; his ex-wife, Casey Kingston; his parents, Patti and Allan Kingston; siblings, Brad Kingston, Jennifer (Missy) Kingston, and Blythe Peelor (Stephen); uncle, Charles Kingston (Jeannette); nieces, Allegra Peelor and Emelia Beldon Kingston.A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday April 14 at 11 am at the Ostrander/Watson residence, 898 Vale View Drive, Vista, CA, 92081.In lieu of other remembrances, the family requests donations to a GoFundMe account established for the higher education of his sons at:www.gofundme.com/erics-boys-education-fund