Obituary of ERICA ANDREA ILLESCAS

Erica Andrea Illescas, 23, passed away the 6th of August 2017 while at the beach in Palenque, Panama. She was born in Phelps Memorial Hospital - Sleepy Hollow, NY- on November 2nd, 1993 to Rosa Jarama and Marcelo Illescas. She is survived by both her parents and three brothers, Marcelo Jr., 32, John, 28, and Cristian, 18, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins. Amongst the many people she cared for, she especially loved spending time with her siblings and aunts. As a lifelong resident, Erica graduated from Croton Harmon High School, Class of 2011. Afterwards she attended the University of Connecticut - Storrs, and received her Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering in May 2017. Upon graduating, Erica went to Panama City to work in a medical research facility, studying stem cell research. There, she excelled in being the only one in her lab group to reproduce cells with a 98% survival rate. Erica had also been accepted into the Master’s degree program at the University at Connecticut, where she planned to attend in January 2018 following completion of her internship in Panama City. Erica had gone to the town of Palenque to further explore Panama with a couple of her colleagues. While sitting at the shore, a wave came by and pulled her and some of her friends into the ocean. Though they were able to retrieve her body from the ocean and transport her to the nearest clinic, she was pronounced dead at 3 pm. Her passing comes at a great loss to her family, friends, and community. Those closest to her will find comfort in remembering her witty sense of humor, patience and compassion. From the beginning, even as a child, she was very independent and responsible. She never hesitated to lend a helping hand, donate to charities, and she often put the needs of others before her own. She enjoyed being a role model, caring for the many children she babysat, teaching, and cooking. Erica also had a deep appreciation for animals, especially her childhood dog, Lilly. For many of those who knew her, she was seen as the voice of reason, the one who’d give you an honest opinion and a hug when you needed it. Erica was strong willed and determined to make the most out of life through her education and hard work. She leaves behind a great void in all the lives she impacted and will be dearly missed. Her family will be receiving visitors on Monday August 21st from 5-10 pm at Nardone Funeral Home at 414 Washington St., Peekskill, NY. The funeral will be Tuesday the 22nd at 10am at The Holy Name of Mary church in Croton on Hudson, NY. The Interment will follow at Bethel Cemetery in Croton.