Eric Anthony Cloutier, a life-long resident of Ballardvale died on January 23rd after a courageous battle against a particularly aggressive form of cancer. Eric was 52 and the eldest son of Jerry and Cindy Cloutier, also of Ballardvale.
He was a 1989 graduate of the Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical High School and was employed for 27 years as a shipping/receiving technician at Flagship Press of North Andover. A fifth generation Andoverite, Eric had a passion for graphic arts & design; he was an amazingly talented, self-taught writer and artist whose main focus was drawings in pencil , chiefly of mythological creatures such as those featured in the game Dungeons and Dragons. Eric also enjoyed reading, camping ,hiking, bicycling and swimming and excelled at all of those pastimes.
Eric was a gentle giant who was exceptionally kind to all he met and his kindness was appreciated by all who knew him. Physically he was enormously strong. Eric single-handedly constructed huge, intricate, stone retaining walls for his parents which was greatly admired by those who saw it.
In addition to his parents, Eric is survived by his brothers and sisters-in-law Gregory and Megan Cloutier, and Benjamin and Chandra Cloutier. Eric also left 5 nieces and nephews and nineteen cousins all of whom adored their lovable Uncle Eric. He was especially close to his aunts and uncles, Jeanne and her husband Joseph Mills, Louise and her husband Armand Hammand, Dodie Gaudet and her husband Michael Coffey, Diane and her husband Michael Munroe, Joyce and her husband and Wayne Marceau, Gail and her husband Michael Henry, and John Gaudet, Joseph Gaudet and David Gaudet and his wife Judy.
Eric was pre-deceased by Grandparents Clarence and Beatrice Cloutier and John Clifford Gaudet, Sr. and his wife Dorothy as well as uncle Gary Gaudet and aunt Wendy Gaudet.
A celebration of Eric's remarkable life will be at a later date. Friends are asked to donate to any charity devoted to fighting cancer which took Eric so young.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Burke-Magliozzi Funeral Home of Andover. For additional information, please visit, www.burkemagliozzi.com.