Eric James Njus, 35

Eric James Njus, age 35 of Lawler, passed away peacefully at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, surrounded by loved ones on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021.

Friends greeted the family from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, at Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton, where there was a 6 p.m. funeral service following the visitation. 

Online condolences for Eric’s family may be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com.

Eric was born June 25, 1986, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in New Hampton. From a young age, Eric had a knack for hard work and helping others. Whether it was volunteering to work in the fields or competing in pedal tractor pulls--he was always willing to help or take on a new challenge. Eric’s childhood traits soon made him into the kind and caring man that so many came to love.

Eric graduated from Turkey Valley Community School in 2005 and went on to attend Northeast Iowa Community College and earned a degree in Carpentry. 

He quickly discovered a passion for intricate woodworking and began his 15-year career at Gossling Woodworking — honing his craft and becoming a skilled Cabinet Maker. Eric always had an abundance of patience and high attention to detail, which made this a perfect fit for him. While working as a Cabinet Maker, Eric also maintained his work on the family farm. He especially loved the fieldwork and helping his loved ones.

In July 2016, Eric met his wife, Samantha. She was living in Wisconsin at the time, so they developed their connection through messages and phone calls. Eric protected the budding relationship by sneaking off to his shop to talk with Samantha whenever he could, and she soon became the most important person in his life. In February 2017, Eric asked Samantha to move to Lawler and share in the house he had been building. 

They completed the house together and transformed it into a home--surrounding it with the things they grew to enjoy together: collectible model cars, pedal tractors, model tractors, and classic cars. Eric knew that Samantha was the person he wanted to spend his life with, and they were married on April 6, 2019. 

The home they shared is a testament to Eric’s hard work and perseverance; from the handcrafted cabinetry and woodwork to the vegetable garden he lovingly tended, and the parade of car parts that he was constantly working on. He always had a project, but yet always made time to help others.

Eric was the type of person to call his friends and family when he was making a run to the store to be sure he could pick up what others needed while he was there. Despite having many (many) car projects of his own, he was the type of person to drop everything to help someone replace their tires — never charging anything beyond the cost of the tire. Eric was fiercely loyal, someone you could always depend on, and constantly helping others without any need for recognition or credit.

With Eric’s instinctively caring nature, it was no surprise that he would make a wonderful father. In October of 2020, Eric and Samantha welcomed the absolute sunshine of Eric’s life, Elizabeth Ann, into their family. He was nervous at first, but Elizabeth quickly wrapped her dad right around her little finger. 

He soon became confident enough to declare himself the “Baby Whisperer” due to his ability to get Elizabeth to sleep after picking her up from daycare. His favorite time of day was just before they would put Elizabeth to bed, and he got his daddy-daughter snuggle time on the couch. Eric loved being a husband and father and would have done anything for his girls.

Eric is survived by his loving wife, Samantha Jo; his daughter and little sunshine, Elizabeth Ann; and his four-legged companion, Jackson; Dawn Njus (Greg Thies) of New Hampton; Deb (Nick) Njus-Heckman of Lawler, Dennis (Connie) Njus of New Hampton, David Njus (Lisa Myers) of Lawler, and Chris Thies of Johnston; in-laws, Charlie (Sheryl) Finger and Zach Finger (Stacy Brumfield) of Kasson, Minnesota, Isaiah (Josie) Finger of West Concord, Minnesota, Brandon Finger (Maegan Rogers) of West Concord, Minnesota; and many cherished cousins and friends.

Preceded in death by his parents Lyle and Bernette Njus; grandparents-in-law Kenneth and June Vangness and Richard and Anna Finger.