Obituary of Eriko Wilbur

Eriko (Gima) Wilbur passed away at her home in Bald Mountain in Greenwich onWednesday, April 24th after a three-year battle with ALS.

Eriko was born in Okinawa, Japan on April 22, 1967 to the late Cyotoku Gima andKiyoko (Okuma) Gima of Okinawa.

Eri loved her life on Okinawa and would have probably remained there had she not metthe love of her life, Pete Wilbur, while he was stationed there with the U.S. Marines. After theirmarriage in August of 1995, they lived in Okinawa and California, before returning home to thefamily farm in Bald Mountain. It was there that they raised their three beautiful daughters.

Eriko was a wonderful mother to all of them and a fantastic wife to Pete. She lovedcooking traditional Japanese food and everyone enjoyed eating it. She loved flowers andgardening, and especially enjoyed growing Japanese vegetables that she happily shared withothers, including a group of Okinawan women from this area that she met and formed wonderfulfriendships with. She also loved going for long motorcycle rides with Pete - a highlight of theirtime together.

For the last three years, Eri fought a tough battle against ALS. While she could no longerspeak, she used a computer to type out words using her eyes to find the letters. Her love for herfamily and sense of humor continued to shine through. Her family meant the world to Eriko, andthey were her primary caregivers throughout her battle. They will miss her strength, and herlaughter, and her wonderful smile.

Eriko leaves behind her husband, Peter, and their three daughters: Aliesha (Will), Kandice and Sayaka, all of Bald Mountain. She was also a wonderful Baachan (Grandmother) to Owen and a new granddaughter arriving in June. She is also survived by her mother, Kiyoko, and her siblings: Emiko, Hiromi, Asatoshi, Tomoharu, Tomohiko, Tomoyuki and Tomomitsu, all of Japan. She was also a big part of Pete’s family and is survived by Pete’s parents, Barb and Ron Facin, and Al and Jean Wilbur; his siblings Ben Wilbur, Tim Wilbur, Abby (Jason) Federico, Ryan Farrell, Joanna (Jeremy) Messina and Andrew Facin, and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 4th at 2 p.m. at the Flynn Brothers Inc.Funeral Home, 80 Main Street, Greenwich.

Friends may call on Saturday from 12 - 2 p.m. prior to the service.

The family suggests that memorial donations be made to St. Peter’s ALS RegionalCenter, 19 Warehouse Row, Albany, NY 12205.

Online condolences and messages to the family may be made at www.flynnbrosinc.com