Eric Blanchette was more then just an Eastern student, he was also a veteran of the U.S. Navy for six years.

Blanchette, 30, a business major, was found dead on Saturday, Oct. 22 in his apartment in Charleston.

Coles County Coroner Ed Schniers said the cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage.

During his time in the Navy, Blanchette worked on the nuclear power plant of the ship, USS Abraham Lincoln.

He was also a graduate of Nuclear Power School.

Before attending Eastern, Blanchette was a student at the University of Urbana-Champaign.

Blanchette’s friends described him as a great guy, smart, shy, but fearless.

“He was a really great guy. He had some quarks, but he always meant well and like a typical veteran you could always count on him to be there when you needed him most,” DJ Terek, Blanchette’s friend and a member of the Illini Veterans Club at the U of I said.

Among Blanchette’s many Navy accomplishments was also the position of the vice president of the Illini Veterans at the University of Urbana-Champaign in summer and fall of 2010.

Chad Garland, Blanchette’s friend and the secretary for the Illini Veterans said he will miss just being able to talk to Blanchette.

“It’s hard to say what I’ll miss in the long term,” Garland said. “I guess I’ll miss how he used to just Facebook message me or text me and say, ‘What’s up?’ every once in a while. In the last few days, as I’ve scrolled through my contact list, I keep seeing his name and wanting to call his number.”

Garland said Blanchette liked to read, shop, play on his computer and loved movies.

When Blanchette was attending the U of I he was interested in pursuing a career in the field of science, but that changed when he attended Eastern.

“I think he was very interested in science, and he seemed to want to work in the sciences, but then when he decided to transfer to EIU he wanted to go into business. I think he got burnt out on science or didn’t see a lot of potential in that area any more,” Garland said.

When Blanchette was attending the U of I he got many job offers to work at a nuclear power plant because of his nuclear training.

“He was a smart enough guy that he could have done pretty much anything he wanted,” Garland said.

Members of the Illini Veterans presented Blanchette’s family with a shadow box and a flag after his burial on Oct. 28.

Members of the Illini Veterans also want to make sure Blanchette’s memory lives on through the organization.

“We have discussed ways to make sure Eric’s name lives on through the Illini Veterans, but we’re not sure yet how we will do that. If nothing else, he will be listed in the history of our organization as the second vice president and for having had a big influence on the organization in its early development,” Garland said.

Garland said he hopes to establish a scholarship in Blanchette’s honor someday.

“He was like a brother to us. The shared experience of the military really brought us all together,” Terek said.

Samantha Bilharz can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].