Obituary of Lily Anne Ernst

Lily Anne Ernst, beloved daughter, friend and collegiate swimmer passed away unexpectedly July 27, 2022. She was 20 years old. Visitation for Lily will be held on Tuesday, August 2nd, 4-7 pm, at Iowa City West High School, 2901 Melrose Ave, Iowa City. A funeral service for Lily is scheduled for Wednesday, August 3rd, 11 am, also at Iowa City West High School. Lily was an amazing young woman with the heart of a champion, a driven personality, and a passion for perfection. She was a strong advocate for women's rights and human rights. Lily was also a champion of the underdog, and lifting others up. She volunteered for the food bank and volunteered to teach young children to swim. Lily held a very competitive edge that allowed her to succeed at everything she put her mind to. Her exceptionally high standards allowed her to focus that drive into setting records at West High and at UNI, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA in Social Work and Mental Health. Lily made the MVC Scholar-Athlete team, was First-Team All MVC, and holds the 200 Fly record at UNI (breaking the oldest record on UNI’s books). She was also nominated for the UNI PEPSY, newcomer of the year, and UNI Moment of the Year. Lily had a huge amount of compassion and love for the world around her. She loved her parents and siblings endlessly. Lily’s family include her loving parents, Kelly (Shan) Egan and Fran (Holly) Ernst; siblings, Lauren Ernst and Luke Ernst; step-siblings, Coleman Riss and Annie Riss; aunts and uncles, Nora (Gil) Gonzalez, Tony (Wendy) Ernst and Nick Ernst; grandparents, Rita Ernst and Jeanne Liston; many cousins. Sadly, Lily is preceded in death by grandfather, Anthony Ernst, her aunts and uncles, Mary Ernst, Elle Grap, Ben Ernst and Ted Ernst and her cousin Lizzy Ernst. Memorial contributions in Lily’s honor may be made to the Lily Ernst Memorial Fund for mental health (please copy and paste the following link into your browser - https://gofund.me/2f2bcbf6) and animal shelter/rescue in honor of all her puppies, but especially her very own dog Wilson, whom Lily rescued from a shelter. Please continue to keep her family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.