Erik Fossum

Erik Fossum, 37, of Carmel IN, ran into the arms of Jesus on Feb 9, 2022 and entered his Heavenly home.  He was a warrior until the end and fought a courageous battle against brain cancer.

Erik was born to Barb and Scott Fossum of West Bend, WI on June 5th, 1984. He had an older sister (Andrea) and two younger brothers (Paul & Brian).  From an early age, Erik had a passion for adventure, knowledge, traveling and family camping trips (driving to 49 states).  He loved soccer, track, debate, and basketball.  Erik was an enthusiastic Wisconsin sports fan.  He attended as many sporting events as he possibly could and was a human almanac for sports statistics.  He met his best friend, soul mate, and future wife Jennifer Beverung while in high school.  Their first date was at junior prom at the age of 17.

After graduating from West Bend East High School in 2003, Erik attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison where he excelled as an undergraduate in pre-medicine studies and was then accepted into the Med Scholars program at UW Madison.  He graduated with honors as part of Alpha Omega Alpha (medical honor society) in his medical school class.  He decided to pursue an emergency medicine residency program at Indiana University.  He was chosen to be the chief resident and a top faculty member was quoted saying, “I trust Erik Fossum more than anyone.  He is ridiculously smart and always does the right thing for his patients.”  Emergency medicine appealed to Erik for multiple reasons including the high acuity, challenges, variety, but above all, the ability to have quality time with his family.

Erik joined Medical Associates in 2013 and served as an Emergency Physician for the Community Health Network in the greater Indianapolis Area.  He loved working at multiple hospitals and built genuine friendships with his colleagues and partners.  Erik was passionate about caring for his patients of all ages and needs.  He went above and beyond to provide the highest quality of medical care as well as personal touches to comfort patients and their families.  Erik was a brilliant physician, mentor, and highly respected professional in his field.

Above all, Erik’s defining role was as husband to Jennifer, his wife of 13 years, and as father to three beautiful girls, Rosalie (5), Elliott (5), and Brynne (2).  Erik and Jen were married on June 21, 2008 in Cedarburg, WI.  They took advantage of their “pre-kids” years and took many memorable trips together.  Erik’s love and respect for Jen was something truly special and was noticed by everyone they connected with.  Their family became even sweeter with the arrival of their identical twin girls Ellie and Rosie on October 1, 2016.  Brynne was born on December 9, 2019 and was the perfect grand finale to their family.  Erik was such a proud and loving father.  Erik loved being a “girl dad” and could make his girls giggle like no one else. They loved spending time in their swimming pool, going on vacations – especially to their Montana cabin, playing at home, and of course singing (every lyric) and dancing together.  The “Fossum Five” were Erik’s pride and joy.  Erik was the master fort builder, Disney vocal impersonator extraordinaire, champion meat smoker, gifted beer selecter, sought after dance partner, family travel agent, and all time best snuggler.

From the moment of his diagnosis, Erik made the decision to enjoy every moment and cherish each day.  His motto was “No Day but Today.”  His faith in the Lord guided him through this most difficult journey and hopefully has encouraged others to trust in God’s perfect plan.  In his final weeks, Erik cherished the simplicities of family life, watching his daughters play, laugh, and sing.  He was surrounded by loved ones.  Erik also had worked very hard during the course of his illness to compose a Storyworth book with stories of his life and future advice for his girls.

Erik lives on in the hearts of his parents Barb and Scott Fossum of West Bend, WI, sister Andrea (Shawn) Parks, brother Paul (Toni) Fossum, brother Brian (Stephanie) Fossum, father-in-law Bob Beverung and sister in law Molly (Nic) Herdrich, nieces and nephews including Caden, Stella & Emmett Parks, Elizabeth & Jack Fossum, Evangeline Fossum, and Noah & Sloan Herdrich.

Erik’s mind will be remembered for its brilliance, humor, kindness, competitive spirit, perseverance, and intellectual curiosity. Erik will be a legacy to science – having entered himself into multiple clinical trials, where research will persevere in its quest for a cure.  Erik’s memories of an incredible journey will live on forever.

A celebration of Erik’s life will be held at Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis on Saturday, February 26th at 2PM Eastern.  An open house reception will follow at the Ritz Charles Ballroom in Carmel from 3PM-6PM Eastern.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made as follows:

For contributions to the Fossum girls’ college funds or charities of the family’s choice, please use:

Venmo account: @ErikFossumMemorialFund

IU Emergency Medicine Chisholm – Rodgers Legacy Fund in Emergency Medicine (two of Erik’s professional mentors who had a wonderful impact on his career)

https://medicine.iu.edu/emergency-medicine/giving

To view the livestream of Erik’s service please click here