| Graduation Year | Class of 1977 |
| Date of Passing | May 27, 2009 |
| About | Ernie passed away on May 27th. Ernie had been ill for the past nine months and would not go see a doctor until his illness forced him into the hospital on May 4th. Doctors found that he had a cancerous tumor in his neck that had grown into his carotid artery. The tumor had caused him to bleed profusely and they were able to control it a couple of times. He was eventually placed on a respirator and on May 20th bleeding occurred again and the methods that could be used to control it would only result in a painful death. Cathy made the very difficult decision to have Ernie taken off the respirator and he peacefully passed away. Cathy specifically mentioned that Ernie would frequently talk about the friendship and good times that he with all of us in Baldwin Park. She was very happy that Ernie had great memories and just wanted to make sure that we knew that he thought of us often. On May 27th, a small and nice service was held for Ernie in the Gulpha Gorge area of the Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. May he rest in peace... |
