02/06/2012
Brian Eck left our world, but not our hearts, on Monday, February 6, 2012. He was 35 years old. The great love Brian had for others, and they for him, was evident in the large crowd of family and friends that gathered to support Brian and each other in his final days of life at Mercy Hospital.
Brian will be sorely missed by all who loved him but will live on and give new life to others, thanks to his family’s decision to donate his organs and tissue.
Brian was born on September 17, 1976, to Dixie and Wendell Eck. Brian and his sisters, Bonita and Anna, were “best friends” and remained inseparable throughout their lives.
Brian’s joy and enthusiasm for life and love for others is legendary, but nothing when compared to his love for and devotion to his son, Ledger. Ledger was the center of Brian’s world and Brian committed to fatherhood with the same passion he brought to everything.
Friends and family will remember especially Brian’s smile and sense
of humor. He put the needs of others far ahead of his own. He was the one others
went to when they needed a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on. His funny faces
and silly voices live on in his son, Ledger.
Brian was an exceptional craftsman and well-respected for his skill at carpentry
and carpet installation. He and his father, Wendell, worked side-by-side often,
a source of great pride and joy for them both.
Brian loved his boat and time spent on the lake with family and friends. He rarely
missed a family gathering or social event and when he did things just weren’t quite
the same. He and his mother, Dixie, shared a love of bargain shopping and, especially,
time spent with Ledger.
Brian is survived by his son, Ledger Johnson-Eck; mother, Dixie Brooks (Archie);
father, Wendell Eck (CeCe Ibson); sisters, Bonita Harvey, Anna Eck and Wendi Eck;
nieces, Shelbi Alex, Ashlin Alex, Justyce Eck, Morghan Harvey and Jayda VanNiewaal;
aunts and uncles, Karen Ficus (Dean), Jim Vaneck, Steve Eck, Sally Eck and Scott
Eck; step-siblings, Daiynna Brooks-Brown, Lisa Brooks, J. Archie Brooks III, Zoey
Wagner and Kiernan Wagner; many, many cousins and friends too numerous to name.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, February 10, 2012, at Hamilton’s
on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, with family present
from 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, at Berean Assembly
of God Church, 5299 E. University Avenue in Pleasant Hill.
A fund has been established for the benefit of Brian’s son, Ledger. Contributions
to “Ledger’s Fund” may be mailed to Ibson Law Firm, 2629 Beaver Avenue, Suite 3,
Des Moines, IA 50310.
Online condolences may be expressed at: www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com