Eric Koopmans, husband, father, son, brother, friend and coach left us with a bang and moved in with the Lord peacefully on July 4, 2025 at the age of 64 surrounded by his family and friends.
Eric fought a courageous battle with cancer for almost two years. He kept his sense of humor, honor, and fastidious bearing until the end.
The family would like to thank Dr. Chad Guenther and all of the extraordinary nurses at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in Santa Barbara, and especially Solvang, for their exceptional care and treatment.
They took care of Eric physically, but also made his treatments enjoyable, by joking around with him, laughing with him and letting him tell his funny stories. Eric enjoyed going to his treatments because of the conversations and laughs he had during those times.
Eric was born on March 18, 1961 at Edwards Air Force Base, in Mojave, California, to Harry and Monique Koopmans. Eric joined his older brother, William (Bill) as the military family of four moved around the continental United States before his dad was transferred to France in 1963.
Eric often reminisced about living overseas, as French was his first language before the family moved to Germany. He spoke about his French-born mother and German-Dutch father, and how his ancestry impacted this time in his life.
They enjoyed traveling throughout Europe during vacations and living in base housing or off-base among the locals. The family often moved between the U.S. and Europe over the next several years.
In 1976, Eric’s family returned a final time to the U.S. when his father was assigned to Vandenberg Air Force Base and soon retired.
Eric graduated from Cabrillo High School in 1980, and continued his education at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. He earned two degrees, with one an associate in science degree in administration of justice.
He then sought and earned a career in law enforcement, a profession in which he excelled. He initially joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 1982, transferring to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office in April 1984.
Eric served from Carpinteria to Santa Maria in a variety of assignments during his 34-year storied career. Eric was a major crimes detective for eight years, where he received specialized training and distinguished himself as a lead investigator in officer-involved shootings for other agencies.
He steadily rose through the ranks, retiring at the rank of commander for the North County Operations Division of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Eric was completely dedicated to his wife Lynda and son Tyler. They enjoyed camping, boating and watching sci-fi movies. Any excuse to have a barbecue with family and friends gathered around the pool often resulted in hours of laughter and spinning half true yarns.
Eric was a natural leader as he coached Tyler and his AYSO teams, then refereed soccer matches with Tyler as he got older. Eric also spent countless hours dedicated to baseball as Tyler excelled as a pitcher in the Santa Ynez Pony League and at Santa Ynez High School.
Eric served on the boards of AYSO and Santa Ynez Pony League for many years, dedicating numerous volunteer hours to ensure the kids had what they needed.
From coaching and reffing/umping to mowing fields, setting up goals, passing out uniforms, digging up broken sprinklers; if it needed to get done, Eric volunteered his time and energy.
Many local valley youth grew into responsible adults under Eric’s tutelage. This attribute led to Eric, Lynda and Tyler having a plethora of friends throughout the Santa Ynez Valley.
Eric is survived by his wife Lynda and son Tyler, both of Santa Ynez; and his father Harry and brother William (Camilla), both of Lompoc. He was predeceased by his mother Monique Koopmans.
A private family interment was held July 16 in Ballard, California. A public Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, Aug. 9 at the Solvang Veterans Hall. The 1 p.m. service is open to all who wish to pay tribute.
Please RSVP by Aug. 6 to pmw0386@comcast.net if you plan to attend.