Remembering Eric Toothaker

Remembering Eric ToothakerComments 2 Recommend 6
24-year-old Hurlburt airman was found dead in Santa Rosa Sound
May 29, 2008 - 6:01PM
Robbyn Brooks
NAVARRE - Eric Toothaker was a hero to his younger brothers and sisters.Brandon, 16, and Tanya, 19, both used the same word to describe him: "Awesome.""Hearing he was gone was the most shocking moment of my life," Brandon Toothaker said from his home in Hazelton, Pa.Memorial Day was Eric Toothaker's birthday. His wife had given him a blue kayak and he set off on an excursion on Santa Rosa Sound. It was a new adventure for the 24-year-old Hurlburt Field airman, who never did much kayaking. But he was no stranger to water or rafting."He could swim like a fish," said his father, Bill Toothaker. Eric never came home. He was found floating facedown in the sound about a half-mile east of the Woodlawn Beach boat ramp in Midway early the next morning.Bill said Eric's wife, Megan, feels somewhat responsible for her husband's death because she gave him the kayak."He wanted that kayak and he was getting it one way or another," Bill said of his son's tenacity.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is trying to piece together a timeline of what happened to Eric. They know Megan had contact with him at about 1 p.m. and two people found his abandoned kayak at about 2:30 Monday afternoon near Soundside Drive. When Bill called his son to wish him a happy birthday Monday evening, he only got his voice mail.Wounds on Eric's body indicate he may have been hit by a boat. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday, but the results haven't been released.Eric's parents and their spouses, and Megan and her parents will attend a memorial service for Eric at 11 a.m. today at Hurlburt before they take him back to Pennsylvania."I'm going to miss his smile the most," Bill said. "He was one of the easiest kids ever to raise. You'd never see him without a smile."Brandon last saw Eric in September, the same month Eric was married and began his service as an aircraft mechanic at Hurlburt. He was an Airman 1st Class with the 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron."We just hung out," Brandon said of that meeting. "Just being around him was enough for me."Eric's sister, Tanya, said he and Megan picked her up while she was in an Air Force tech school in Mississippi. She said the last day she spent with her big brother was a happy one. They went to an aquarium and shared time together."It was a lot easier going through basic and everything," Tanya said. "He'd already done it. He was so much help."Tanya is stationed in Germany, but is home for Eric's funeral."I'll miss pretty much everything about him," Tanya said. "He loved being outdoors and he loved sports."Bill said Eric was a huge fan of Duke basketball and Penn State football."Every time I talked to him, the conversation always drifted that way," Bill chuckled of his son's enthusiasm for sports.The last memory Bill has of Eric is playing basketball with him and Brandon. He said it was something the three enjoyed doing together.Eric's mother, Carrie Sernak, said he was independent and loved to do things for himself ever since he was young. One of her proudest moments as a mom was seeing him in uniform.His family described the young airman as a man of honor, pride and loyalty."He'd never hurt anyone else's feelings," Bill said. "He always put others before himself."Bill said the loss of his son is devastating for the entire family, including Eric's 2-year-old sister, Faith, and his 7-year-old brother and godson, Adam.Bill asked to share this thought with other parents: "Hug your kids. Tell them you love them. The chance may slip by and you'll never get it again."
IF YOU KNOW SOMETHINGAnyone with information on Eric Toothaker's accident should call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at (888) 404-3922.