Eric Nelson VanderDrift entered heaven peacefully on January 27th, 2026, at the age of 77. He loved his wife and daughters deeply and sacrificially. He was a devoted Grandaddy, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend.

Eric was born January 23, 1949, in Newark, New Jersey to William and Phyllis VanderDrift. After graduating from Southern Methodist University, he proudly served in the U.S. Navy from 1975 to 1977 as a pilot. He married Sharon Rose Collins on May 26, 1978 and they shared almost 48 years together. They had two much loved daughters Elizabeth(44) and Rachel (36).

Throughout his life, he helped build and co-owned a pool business alongside his brother-in-law. At the age of 50, he changed careers and founded a financial advising firm that was driven by putting his clients first. He continued to pursue and advance his expertise in his career by attending both Harvard and Wharton Business School where he earned advanced certifications. He enjoyed golfing, traveling (especially to New York City), collecting watches, and spending time with his family.

Eric will be remembered for his tender heart, integrity, authenticity, leadership, sense of humor and fierce loyalty to family and friends.

His wife and daughters would like to thank his caregivers at Grandbrook for their compassionate and genuine care during the last 6 months of his life.

Eric’s legacy will be carried on by his wife, Sharon, and their children - Elizabeth Newton and Rachel Grass; his sons-in-law, Kevin Newton and Chris Grass; his grandchildren, Jacob Newton (17), Natalie Newton (14), Andrew Newton (11), Luke Newton (3), Elliott Grass (5) and Easton Grass (3).

He is also survived by his brother, Bob VanderDrift; and his favorite cousins Jo-Ann Early and Sandy Zensen.

Waiting for him in heaven are his parents Phyllis & William VanderDrift; Anne and Malon Collins, his mother and father-in-law; and his great-nephews Rhett Rodgers and Lucas Collins.

A service will be held to honor his life on Friday, February, 6th 2026 at 2:00PM at Northwest Bible Church (8505 Douglas Ave, Dallas, Texas 75225) with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the following in honor of Eric's commitment to giving: 

SPCA of Texas

https://spca.org/

Project Beacon 

https://projectbeacontx.org/

Christian Blind Mission 

https://www.cbm.org/