Official Obituary of
Erik Dion Finklea
December 13, 1989 ~ March 17, 2019 (age 29) 29 Years Old
Erik Dion Finklea Obituary
Erik Dion Finklea entered this life on December 13, 1989 at Bethesda Hospital, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Tekeitha Finklea and Victor Pitts. He was the sixth of seven children born to Tekeitha Finklea, three minutes ahead of his twin. No one was aware of the phenomenal impact this new life would bring.
Erik received his formative education in the Cincinnati Public School System. He attended Quebec Heights Elementary School, Jacobs Center and Woodward High School. He was a star football player at Woodward and was the top Running Back in the history of Woodward, and in the City of Cincinnati during his Senior Year. He was a proud member of the Class of 2009 of Woodward High School.
The voice of higher learning was calling Erik and he answered. He not only excelled in athletics, but academically as well. His football skills, both on and off the field, made headlines and he was offered a four-year Athletic Scholarship to Miami University, College of Education, Health and Society in Oxford, Ohio. Erik was a member of the Miami University NCAA Division I Varsity Football team when Miami won the 2010 Mid-American Conference Championship. He graduated in May 2013 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology and Health, with a concentration in Public Health.
Upon graduating from college, Erik’s first career choice was a Logistics Account Executive with Total Quality Logistics in Cincinnati. However, his desire to see minority children’s educational pursuits enhanced, caused him to chase his calling by tutoring young children as a Literacy Tutor at Pleasant Hill Academy, Cincinnati, OH from 2014 to 2015. From 2015 to 2017, he excelled as a tutor for Tutor Corps Urban Education Fellow with AmeriCorps in Newark, NJ, and he also served as Administrative Assistant, Dean of Students and Corps Staff Manager at Great Oaks Charter School in Newark, NJ. Upon returning to Cincinnati, OH in 2017, he became more passionate and involved in educating our urban youth and was a 6th Grade Math Teacher at King Academy Community School where his students outscored Cincinnati Public School students by 15% on the Ohio AIR Test. Erik’s education mantra led him to become the Assistant Director for King Academy Community School. From July to November of 2018, he was employed with Vanguard Collegiate in Indianapolis, IN. He was most recently employed with Eli Lilly Company in Lansing, MI since November of 2018.
Erik was very passionate about making life better for our youth through education and spent many hours giving back to the community through volunteer activities. In the Spring of 2018, he became involved at The Center for Leadership Development. He also volunteered to be a mentor at a Mentorship Program called “Project Mr.” which focused on guiding young boys to be responsible. From 2017 to 2018, he served as the secretary of a Cincinnati organization called L.O.O.F. (Leaders of Our Future), before moving to Indianapolis. He spent many days and nights trying to get this organization up and running, from holding events to volunteering and networking. He built amazing relationships with many kids in Newark, NJ and Indianapolis, IN that he kept in touch with, from going to their sporting events, to simply talking with them on the phone to make sure they were alright.
A strong influence in Erik’s life was his grandmother, the late Mother Maggie Daniel who loved and nurtured him and brought him to Bethlehem Temple Church at 1205 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH where she was a faithful member and an intercessory prayer warrior when he was just a year old. She loved her grandchildren with a passion. Erik was baptized in the name of Jesus at the age of 7 at Bethlehem Temple under the leadership of the late Bishop Johnnie L. Johnson. Erik received the baptism of the Holy Ghost in his early young adult life at Hope for You, under the leadership of Bishop Larry Dempsey. Erik’s love for education caused him to have preliminary discussions with Bishop Dempsey regarding an intensive tutoring program for the youth at Hope for You.
Although he had no children of his own, he bestowed fatherly love and advice to his many nieces and nephews as a father figure. Being born into a large family, he was blessed to have an extended family of many aunts and uncles and a great number of cousins, all of whom loved Erik so very much.
Erik slipped away from us on Sunday, March 17, 2019 in Lansing, MI. He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Maggie Daniel and aunt, Annette Engleman; grandfather, Raymond Kelsey, grandmother, Charlotte Asberry and uncles, Raymond Pitts and James Pitts.
He leaves to cherish his memories: mother, Tekeitha (Samuel) Woods; father, Victor Pitts; siblings, Jordan McDaniel (fiancé Dina Farag), Tekeisha (Phil) Freeman, Evan (Leah) Finklea, Darnell (Ashley) Finklea, Chanicee Finklea and twin-Erika Finklea, Rachel Raven, Victor Thompson, Zion Pitts and Job Pitts; aunts, Samaria Bruner, Foustina McDaniel, (cousin /aunt) Tina (John) Glover, (honorary) Jean (David) Turner, Beverly (Wesley) Mitchell and Ramona (Wayne) Shaw; great aunt, Marie D. Smith; special uncle, James (Sandra) Engleman and uncles, Paul Pitts and Jeffrey (Nisha) Pitts; best friend, John Steele; special friends, Lauren Williams, Jasmine Watts and Risha North; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and many friends.
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Services
Visitation
ThursdayMarch 28, 2019
9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Greater Emanuel Apostolic Church
1150 West Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45231
Funeral Service(Mask Optional}
ThursdayMarch 28, 2019
10:30 AM
Greater Emanuel Apostolic Church
1150 West Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45231
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