Eran Douglas Bair's Obituary
Eran Douglas Bair, a self-proclaimed recovering a#%hole was anything but that. He was a loyal husband; father, brother, son, uncle, and friend to so many. Born into this world on March 28, 1970 in Olympia, Washington, many believe God broke the mold with him. Whether that was on purpose or accident is up for debate, but there is no question that Eran was one-of-a-kind.
For many his humor was the highlight of engaging conversations with him because if you enjoyed dry wit and banter there was no one better to do it with than him. He seemed to always have a quick quip up his sleeve, with another one in his back pocket for good measure to ensure he brought some laughter to your day. He found real joy in making people laugh, and that was seen each day as he braved the battle of life with cancer. All his caretakers and visitors were always given a front row seat to the Eran Bair Comedy Special and no one ever left without a smile.
But behind the dad jokes and the sarcasm was a man full of faith, hope, and wisdom that was gleaned through his voracious hunger to learn and understand. He sought knowledge through books, magazines, the internet and his fellow man. While he attended two great universities, BYU and the U of U, he finished his IT degree at the University of Phoenix and used that knowledge while working at Sundance for “Bob” (Robert Redford) as he always put it and then after 4 years moved to a better position at VECC in West Valley where he was an IT Network Engineer for 17 years. He gave a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to his job and despite all the ups and downs he stayed for the select few that he considered family.
As the eldest grandchild from a house full of Bairs, it was anticipated that he would be the one to do a lot of firsts and set the precedent for the following 50 or so cousins. He laid a foundation worth modeling…first Bair grandchild to be baptized when 8, first to get accepted to BYU-Provo, first to serve a 2 year mission for the LDS church to Denmark. Self-appointed favorite grandchild of Grandma Bair’s, perhaps because he was the first to be brave enough to clean out her meat cellar…oh the tales we can tell of that entire event. However, his status as favorite grandchild took a hit because he was not the first to get married, no that title went to another.
It took Eran a few hits and misses and a cousin/roommate with an active stalker to help him find his forever companion. Despite their age gap (8 years), Eran and Hanna hit it off and after a few months of dating, Eran decided to propose with a bag of Reese's peanut butter cups and his Nana’s wedding ring. The plan was to have her pull out the ring when grabbing for a peanut butter chocolate goodie but instead she ate one and said she was fine, reminding him she was a diabetic. Despite his many attempts at trying to coax her to eat some more peanut butter cups, he eventually had to pull the ring out himself and propose. She said yes.
They made it official on April 13th, 2002 in the LDS Salt Lake City temple where many friends and family attended their sealing. Fast forward three years and they welcomed a beautiful little girl on the cusp of the New Year with Sydney Ellen Bair (12/31/2005). She brought with her a nice tax break for 2005, as well as a creative and intelligent spirit that rivaled both her parents. Following Sydney was one of their greatest heartbreaks, Dylan Campbell, who was just a little too active in his Mom’s tummy and knotted up his umbilical cord. He came and left us on August 3rd, 2009. Not too long after that, they were blessed with Evan Michael, who graced us with his presence on May 16, 2012 and has since been a compassionate and sensitive soul sent from heaven. In between all these kids, Eran had fur babies (dogs) as well: Cal, Sunny, Stevie, and Percy.
With all his hobbies and interests, which were vast: politics, guns, music, 4-wheeling, Jeeps, outdoors, guitars, gaming, and the list goes on… he was and will always be first and foremost a friend to all that needed one. Despite his irreverence towards our politically correct society, he in all reality was a sensitive guy who sought to understand because he recognized the gift in being understood. His point of view wasn’t always what you wanted to hear but it usually was what you needed to hear. He had a knack, like his mother, to share hard truths with those he cared for in a way that ensured the seeker knew it came from a place of love, even if he delivered with a zinger or two.
Eran Bair will forever live on in the hearts of those whom he loved most: his wife, Hanna, daughter Sydney E., youngest son Evan M., father Evan G. Bair, Brother Jeffrey [Damy] Bair, Sister Nila [Casey] Bair but the list goes beyond these immediate members of his family. He loved a lot of people and cheered them on whether near or far. Perhaps, the next time you hear an inappropriate joke, you’ll laugh and think of Eran. Or when you find yourself faced with an injustice by your neighborhood HOA you’ll ask: “What would Eran Bair do”? But maybe when you’re out 4-wheeling up in the mountains and the sky is painted with broad strokes of tangerine, pink and gold as the sun slowly sinks beyond your view, you’ll think of Eran singing “There is Sunshine in My Soul Today”, his own version of course and have a good laugh.
There is no doubt that Eran lived a full life, especially as time grew closer to the end, he made sure to take every advantage and to fill that bucket of memories up as much as he could for himself and his family. He left us when no family was there to see him go on Thursday, March 9, 2023 but we believe he didn’t want us to see him leave because he knew it would be too difficult to say goodbye. Eran didn’t “wanna live as an unsung melody” and the song he left behind can be heard through the lives of his wife, children, family and friends…their collective melodies will sing the song of Eran Bair always and forever.
Eran Bair’s funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 2150 N Pointe Meadows Drive, Lehi, UT 84043. The family will be holding his viewing from 930AM to 1030AM and then immediately following will be the funeral services from 11AM to 12PM. Flowers and letters of condolences can be sent to the chapel for the service or they can be sent directly to the family at 2001 W 2175 N Lehi, UT 84043.
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