Erika began her rehabilitation work in the early 1980s after she and her husband found an orphaned baby raccoon—an encounter that sparked a lifelong dedication to saving Virginia’s native wildlife. A supporter of WRL since its early years, she took referrals from the helpline and gave advice to helpline volunteers while rehabilitating raccoons, foxes, and the occasional bat from her home in Alexandria.
In 1999 Erika went on to establish her own nonprofit organization, Wild Bunch Wildlife Rehab, in Virginia’s Northern Neck. There, she and her team cared for an extraordinary range of animals including raptors, reptiles, birds, and mammals of every kind — even beavers. Over the decades, Erika helped thousands of animals, continuing her work until 2021, when the refuge closed.
Until the very end of her life, Erika remained fiercely independent, deeply committed to wildlife rescue, and true to her own path. She is survived by her brother, sister-in-law, and niece in Germany, and by her devoted friend and partner in wildlife care, Charlene Devol.
This photo of Erika was taken at Point of View Farm, a wildlife sanctuary in Hillsboro, WV.
