Obituary of Erica E. Whittlinger

Erica E. Whittlinger passed on April 12th in Minnetonka at the age of 74. She was preceded in death by her parents, Victor Whittlinger and Anna Mae Prinketon Whittlinger. She was born and raised in Chicago. She is survived by her cousins and their children as well as many friends. 

Erica lived a life rich with experiences and people from many walks of life. At age 16 she attended Beloit College where she received her BA and then went on to get an MBA at Vanderbilt University. In 1984 she founded her own financial services firm, Whittlinger Capital Management LLC.

As a true entrepreneur herself, Erica reached out to help others build their entrepreneurship skills, teaching a class at Metropolitan State University  and  founding the Salt Lake City chapter  of  the Women Presidents’ Organization. For 20 years Erica was a regular commentator on Public Radio’s nationally-syndicated and award winning “Sound Money” Program.

After retiring from her firm in 2002, Erica went from advising people about their money and investments to helping them find more joy, vitality, and “fire” in their lives. She collaborated with Dr. Jim Gambone and Debby Magnuson to write and publish “The Refirement Workbook” in 2008. As part of her own ReFirement, Erica went on to pursue one of her greatest passions, skiing, becoming a professional ski instructor in her beloved second home, Park City, Utah. She loved her cat Bodhi, skiing, her dear neighbors the Grandpre family, as well as many other good friends. Animal welfare, global travel, and opera also held special places in her heart. 

Special thanks to the staff at Gianna Homes Sursum Corda in Minnetonka who provided her with such good individualized care during her last few years.

An informal Celebration of Erica’s Life will be held on August 3rd from 3-5 pm, at the Cremation Society on 4343 Nicollet Ave Minneapolis.