Ericka Shae Walters, age 27, of Forest City, NC, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at Rutherford Regional Medical Center. 

Born on December 31, 1998, Ericka was a lifelong resident of Rutherford County. She will be remembered as a bright and loving presence whose kindness touched everyone she met. Ericka had a generous heart, a gift for seeing the good in others, and a warmth that brought comfort and joy to her family and friends. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Tom Jones and Martha Watson, and her beloved cousin, Tyler Walters. 

Those left to cherish Ericka’s memory include her loving parents, Jim “Pawpaw” Walters and Teresa “Mawmaw” Walters; her infant son, Tyler James Walters-Boyce; her biological father, Eric Walters, and his wife, Christy, who was also a stepmother to Ericka; her biological mother, Hope Earley; her sisters, Victoria James and her husband, Kip, and Savannah Earley; her brother, Todd Walters and his wife, Pamela; her aunts, Sherrie Toney and her husband, John, and Brandy Jones; her uncle, Brad Jones; five nieces and two nephews, Raighlyn James, Rileigh James, Cali James, Kipley James, Keiston Howze, Kamdyn Gullatte, and Kehlani Earley; her cousins, JD Toney and Wesley McDaniel; and her beloved dog, Atlas. 

The family will receive friends from 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM, Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at McMahan's Funeral Home. The funeral service will be at McMahan's Funeral Home Chapel at 2:00 PM, Tuesday, August 25, 2026, with Reverend Scott Butler officiating. Interment will follow at Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery. McMahan's Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge of arrangements.