Obituary of Erik Ostrand

Erik Ostrand 10/24/1989 – 4/22/2020

Our wonderful Erik, Laurie and Matt’s son and Sara’s brother; our family’s grandson, nephew, and cousin; and friend of so very many; passed away in his sleep on April 22, 2020 from an undiagnosed brain tumor. Erik graduated from Denver School of the Arts in 2008 and from The University of Arizona in 2012. He was living in New York City, sharing an apartment with his dearest friend Tessa, whom he met in college. Erik’s ambition had been to dance professionally in New York City. After some success in Denver and St. Louis, he moved to New York City in 2015. Erik, with a one-way airplane ticket, a small bankroll and not sure of where he was going to spend the night, dove in headfirst to start his new life and pursue his dreams. While seeking his fame and fortune, he was always training for the next audition and was ready to start working as a yoga instructor this spring. On his last day, Erik was with his closest friends. They enjoyed wine by the river and that evening listened to his cherished vinyl records and played crib. He was in the city that he loved, doing what he loved with friends that he loved. Erik chased his dreams relentlessly, loved compassionately, and never wasted a good joke or bad pun.

The world is a little less shiny with his passing and we miss him dearly. Keep dancing for Erik.

We hope to gather this coming October to celebrate Erik’s life. We also wish to continue to honor his life by contributing to the following organizations that we and Erik’s friends believe he would support:

Ali Forney Center

https://www.aliforneycenter.org/

The Trevor Project

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

The Equal Rights Campaign 

https://www.hrc.org/

The American Brain Tumor Association.

https://www.abta.org/