Emily Elizabeth (Byer) Endrizzi

Emily Elizabeth (Byer) Endrizzi, 39, formerly of Etters and York, passed away on Monday, March 11, 2019 in Harrisburg.

She was a graduate of Red Land High School, Lewisberry, PA and earned her B.S. in Nursing from York College of Pennsylvania.

Emily was born in Camp Hill, PA, the beloved first daughter of Robert J. and Nicolette (Barr) Byer of Etters, PA.

In addition to her parents she is survived by her children, Gabriel Zeigler of Etters, Isabelle Endrizzi and Benjamin Endrizzi of Lititz; her sister Sara Eaton and husband Andrew of West Chester; niece, Camille Eaton and nephew, Thomas Eaton; her aunt, Dr. Linda Lemmon; her aunt and uncle, Jennifer and Gary Carpenter, and five cousins.

For most of her life, she struggled with mental illness which eventually led to substance abuse. But Emily should not be defined by her addiction nor her mental illness. She was intelligent and sharp-witted, and could be counted on to do the unexpected. Although she was beautiful — it was her smile that was the sunshine of her face — bright, warm, and generous.

Emily was handy with tools and a whiz at taking thrift store finds and magically turning them into charming home décor. When living in York, she developed a love of gardening — her marigolds were glorious and she created a whimsical fairy and gnome garden. Emily had a generous heart for rescuing animals, having taken into her care three dogs, a turtle, and a crow!

Above all else, her real pride and joy were her children — Gabe, Isabelle and Ben. However, she felt in her heart that her mental illness and eventual substance abuse made her an inadequate parent. This regret was deep-seated and a source of self-loathing and shame that led to taking drugs to dull the pain.

When she was well, she was loving, smart, and creative, but addiction robbed her of everything — her sense of humor, her zest for life, and her will to live. Even though she chose to end her own life, we feel certain she is now at rest and no longer in pain.

We envision a world where people with mental illness are treated with compassion and respect and addicts are not compelled to become criminals.

A visitation with family and friends will be held from 1:00 to 3:00 pm on Wednesday, March 20 at Parthemore Funeral Home & Cremation Services, New Cumberland.

In lieu of flowers, Emily’s family respectfully requests memorial contributions in her memory to either CONTACT HelpLine, PO Box 90035, Harrisburg, PA 17109 or on-line to the Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition. For the latter option, follow this link, scroll to the bottom of the form, and enter “Emily Endrizzi” in the box marked “Donate in honor or memory of” http://www.paharmreduction.org/donate .

To send messages of condolence to Emily’s family or for driving directions, please visit www.Parthemore.com .