Erica Beth Colegrove, loved her family, pets

Erica Beth Colegrove, 39, of Seaford, passed away Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, after a courageous two-year cancer battle. Erica was born in Bryan, Texas, Nov. 23, 1984, to Kelly Adams.

Erica loved all things Christmas and Peanuts. She had an incredible memory that everyone relied on to recall details of past events, people, places, and random trivia, and she relied on to regularly quote TV shows, movies, and song lyrics in daily conversation. She had an eclectic and colorful sense of style, and a love for thrifting and collecting. She met and fell in love with Ben Colegrove over a series of team trivia nights in 2009, and they were married on Nov. 1, 2010. Erica graduated from Seaford High School in 2002 and was proud to become a Penn State Nittany Lion. She cherished her days in Happy Valley but chose to honor her love of being home, returning to Seaford in 2003, where she ultimately graduated with an associate’s degree from Del Tech and a bachelor’s from Wilmington University in accounting. She was a dedicated employee at the City of Seaford for 16 years. Aside from her family and friends, Erica’s greatest loves were her pets, her dogs, Chibs, Puddy, Jada and Toast; and her cat, Gus.

Erica had a beautiful smile and an amazing sense of humor. Her positivity, kindness, strength, and courage were noted by every caregiver she encountered during her treatment.

Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Ben Colegrove; her beloved dogs, Chibs and Puddy; cat, Gus; her mother, Kelly Adams and her stepfather Landy Adams; sister, Jill Day (Danny); mother-in-law and father-in-law Rick and Nina Colegrove; sister-in-law, Evelyne Adams (Matt); grandmother, Jean Howarth; aunt, Cindy Bennett (Alan); aunt, Debbie Hazzard; cousins, Amy Bonkowski (Brian), Keith Hazzard (Tim), Brandy Nauman (Mark) and Brooke Silver (Jonathan); “nieces,” Katie and Kendall; lifelong Seaford friends, Jennifer Abrams (Allison), Ashley Bowman, Meghan Hill (Brian), Marcy Pentoney (Ben) and Alison Travers (Marion).

She was preceded in death by her dogs, Jada and Toast; cat, Shroeder; grandmother, Lois Lord; grandfather, Clifford Howarth; and uncles, Cliff Howarth Jr. and Terry Hazzard.

A Celebration of Life will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Sept. 14, at Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Hardesty Chapel, 202 Laws St., Bridgeville.

In lieu of flowers, send donations to Whimsical Animal Rescue, delawarerescue.com.

Visit Erica’s Life Memorial webpage at parsellfuneralhomes.com.