Eric Jeffrey von Ladau
Oct. 18, 1951 – June 2, 2025
Eric Jeffrey von Ladau, 73, of Sweet Home, passed away June 2, 2025, following a battle with cancer.
He had resided in Sweet Home for the past 16 years.
Eric was raised in California, and decided one day he had had enough of the heat and desert terrain and headed north where there are four seasons and beautiful greenery. His passion for being in nature landed him a perfect home where he could feed the deer at night and the birds and squirrels during the day.
In his younger years, Eric worked hard as a cement mason and went on to work on bridges around the Northwest. Eric’s true passion, where he forgot about time and space, was climbing mountains to mine for gold and finding rocks.
He had dozens of stories he enjoyed sharing about his experiences, having his mining equipment dropped from a helicopter and bringing in supplies by mules, and even a close encounter with a black bear. One of his all-time favorite experiences was visiting Australia and mining for opals, and when he returned home, he spent endless hours polishing stones and creating beautiful jewelry.
Eric’s recent love was his beautiful dog Charlie, who was truly Eric’s best friend till the end of his life. Eric had a circle of friends who stayed in touch and meant much to him throughout his life. Gary, Stan and Randy were three longtime friends that meant the world to Eric, and he was fortunate to have them in his life till the end.
Eric is survived by his daughter, Julia Thomas; four grandchildren; his son, Aaron von Ladau; and his sisters-in-law Debbie Standard and Karolyn Chapman.
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.