Loved ones remember world traveler who died in paragliding accident


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DRAPER — A man known for his goal to travel to every country in the world in record time was taken off of life support Wednesday.

Eric Jonathan Hill, 32, was in critical condition after his parachute collapsed while paragliding at the Point of the Mountain Sunday. Friends and family said Hill always took advantage of the opportunity to go on an adventure.

“He had exuberance for life,” sister-in-law Emily Hill said. “He had such a big personality and I think he just wanted to get the most out of life that he could and live it to the very fullest. I’ve only known him for 13 years and from what I hear about his childhood, he’s just been like this since he was a young boy — he's just had a great love of life and people.”

Eric Hill, a BYU graduate, was driven by a love of adventure and people to set a goal to visit all 194 UN-recognized countries by 2016. He took a break from his travels earlier this year to appear as a contestant in the upcoming season of "The Bachelorette."

He visited 50 countries since officially launching his project, named The Global Odyssey, but has been to even more, his family said. His travels took him to countries others don't often get the chance to visit like North Korea, Syria and the deep recesses of Papua New Guinea.

“It kind of was an idea that I think was instilled in him early on in life,” said Eric's oldest brother Scott Hill. “My dad has a great love of travel and geography and I think that has stuck with Eric and he took it to the next level — he has kind of done that with everything, really.”

Those close to Eric Hill said he was driven to visit as many countries as possible because he wanted to learn what makes others happy and find what made each location unique. During his travels, friends said he was able to touch the lives of many.

“Eric was probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. He knew everybody and was just that way with everyone — super welcoming,” said friend Dan Swiss. “He had a strong ambition to know what made people the way they were. Any time he met someone he was super genuine; he was actually interested in who you are and what you did and why you acted the way you did.”

Loved ones remember world traveler who died in paragliding accident

Since the accident, the hashtags #GoWithEric and #PrayforEric were trending on social media. Friends said they hope others will be led to live their lives to the fullest through learning about Hill's adventures.

Those who met Hill realized you don't have to be rich or anyone special to appreciate people wherever they are, Swiss said.

“I think his spark for life should inspire people to take advantage of all of life’s opportunities," said friend Dave Kiley. "That’s kind of what I’ve been thinking about since his accident — there are a lot of things life offers us that maybe we just need to start saying 'yes' to more. I never heard him say 'no' once. If you invited him on a trip, he was there. If he heard you were on a trip, he somehow found his way there to your trip.”

A group of friends have said they intend to visit the remaining countries on Eric Hill's agenda for his Global Odyssey project in his honor.

“It’s weird, but it almost just feels like he’s on his next big adventure and we’re just kind of waiting to see the pictures roll in,” Swiss said.

Hill's family said they have been touched by all of the support people have given them. Emily Hill said her brother-in-law had a personality that sucked others in and made them feel like family themselves.

“He brought a circle of influence to our family and although we lost Eric yesterday, we gained a much larger family and it’s been a comfort to us,” Scott Hill said. “We’re happy to have those people in our lives and welcome them with open arms.”

Friends have created a memorial fundraiser* for Eric Hill's family called "Live Like Eric."

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