Captain Erik Nilson, 30, Marine pilot

Capt. Erik T. Nilson of Wilmington, N.C., a Marine helicopter pilot who grew up in Ridgefield, died Friday, May 31 at his home. He was 30 years old.
A native of Stamford, Capt. Nilson was born on April 11, 1972, and came to Ridgefield when he was two years old. He attended Scotland, Farmingville, and East Ridge Middle Schools, and graduated from Ridgefield High School in 1990.
An athlete all his life, he played Little League and soccer, and swam with the Great Pond Swim Team, placing third in the state in the breast stroke when he was only 8. He was head acolyte at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, president of the parish youth group, and sang in the church’s children’s choir. “He did that until soccer practice and choir practice ended up on the same day, and choir went down the tubes,” said his mother, Deborah S. Nilson of Ridgefield.
At Ridgefield High School, he lettered in both soccer and lacrosse, and was a member of the National Honor Society. He was also a driver for the Meals on Wheels program in town.
U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman appointed Capt. Nilson to the U.S. Naval Academy. Upon graduation in 1994, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and underwent basic officer training at Quantico, Va.
He trained as a helicopter pilot at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida, and was designated a naval aviator and awarded his Navy Wings of Gold in December 1996, flying CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters. While at Pensacola, he met his wife, Christine Mary Petricola, and the two were married Oct. 26, 1996.
In January 1997 he joined the “Fighting Griffins” Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron at New River Air Base, and was promoted to captain in August 1998. He served as an embark officer, pilot training officer and flight officer.
Capt. Nilson had completed two Landing Force Sixth Fleet deployments with the 24 Marine Expeditionary Unit in 1999 and 2001, serving in such areas as the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, and Macedonia.
His decorations included the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
At services June 4 at the New River Air Station Chapel, eulogies were delivered by several Marines, ranging from a full colonel to a sergeant, his mother noted. “He was respected and loved by the people above and under him as well as by his peers,” Mrs. Nilson said.
Besides his mother and his wife, survivors include a son, Luke Anthony Nilson, who is 2; a brother: Matthew Nilson of Ridgefield; a grandmother: Barbara G. Smith of Naples, Fla.; two aunts: Nora Barton Tobin of Ridgefield and Christina Moore of Upper Lake, Calif.; and an uncle: Steven Goodhue of Australia.
The Rev. John R. Gilchrist, rector, will conduct a memorial service on Saturday, June 29, at 11 a.m., in St. Stephen’s Church. A luncheon reception will take place afterward at St. Stephen’s North Hall.
Burial was at the military cemetery at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.
Contributions in Capt. Nilson’s memory may be made to a trust fund for his son, Luke, in care of Howard S. Tuthill III Esq., trustee, Cummings and Lockwood, P.O. Box 120, Stamford, CT 06904. Checks should be made out to Cummings and Lockwood.