He is survived by his wife Kelli; his children Austin, Claire and Cooper; his sister Kiersten Wangsvick of Tucson, Arizona; his mother Carla Kuhlman of Littleton, Colorado; and his father Steven Close of Golden, Colorado.

Erik was born in Denver, Colorado on January 20, 1975. By birthright, this made him an avid Denver Broncos fan. Possibly his greatest legacy is how he proudly instilled this love of the Broncos in both of his football loving sons. Erik grew up in the Denver metropolitan area, with a brief few years as a child in San Jose, California. He graduated from Wheatridge High School, in Wheatridge, Colorado in 1993.

He attended the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1997. He then entered the working world as an engineer and quickly realized his heart was not fulfilled by the profession.

In 2003, his heart was fulfilled in another way. On August 31, he married Kelli Hammes near her hometown of Eldridge, Iowa. They resided in Littleton and then later in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and had three children: Austin (16), Claire (13) and Cooper (9).

Erik made a career change in the fall of 2009 and began medical school at Rocky Vista University in Parker, Colorado. He graduated in the spring of 2013. Later that year, he began his orthopedic surgery residency at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where he and his family spent the next five years. He graduated from residency in June of 2018 and moved his family to Marshalltown, Iowa to begin his career at as an orthopedic surgeon at the McFarland Clinic. He was an extraordinary addition to the McFarland Clinic and the community of Marshalltown. His compassion and remarkable medical intelligence as a surgeon allowed him to help so many patients in the community in the last two years.

Erik was happiest watching his kids play sports, sailing the waters of Lake Dillon in the Rocky Mountains of his beloved Colorado, and on the golf course. He often referred to himself as the “best worst golfer” at Elmwood.

Erik was competitive, driven, enthusiastic, caring and loving. But while he was a caregiver to others, he held a lot of his thoughts inside and didn’t open up to people. His family asks that if you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety and have thoughts of suicide, please get help. Kelli, Austin, Claire, and Cooper want you to know that you are not alone and there is help available through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (www.afsp.org), the Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) and the Crisis Text Line (741741). It does not matter how smart, capable, or loved you are. Depression can overcome you.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor Erik through a donation in his name to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:https://afsp.donordrive.com/campaign/Erik-Close-Memorial-Fund