Eric was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and raised in the Berrien Springs area, the older of two sons of Gordon Oliver and Blossom Church Engen. His mother played and taught piano and organ, and his father was supportive of his sons' interest in music. Eric started piano at an early age, took percussion lessons in fourth grade and then euphonium in sixth grade, studying with F. Graham Heppel, Beverly Amlaner, and Bob Anderson.

At the beginning of his high school years, the family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where he continued music study at Spencerville Junior Academy under Jake Randall. He found the experience with Randall and frequent performances in small ensembles with him to be particularly inspiring. While he was at Shenandoah Valley Academy working under James Testerman in his junior and senior years, he decided to pursue a career in music as a band director.

Following graduation from SVA in 1980, Eric enrolled as a music and mathematics major at Columbia Union College, now Washington Adventist University. During his six years there he played under Dieter Zimmer and Bob Tennyson, adjunct band directors at the college, and studied euphonium with John Wakefield at the University of Maryland. Following completion of his degree at CUC in 1986, Engen began teaching at nearby Highland View Academy in Maryland, where he taught for seven years.

In 1993 he accepted a position at Mother Lode Adventist Junior Academy in Sonora, California, and two years later took a position at Platte Valley Academy in Nebraska, where he taught for seven years. While there, he completed a master's degree at Andrews University in 1997. In 2002 he accepted his present position at Blue Mountain Academy in Pennsylvania. He also conducts a handbell ensemble and teaches music theory, music history, computer, mathematics, and ground school classes for flying. Like his father, Eric is also a pilot.

In 2009 he served on a North American Division committee formed to establish secondary school music standards. Although inadvertently not listed as a member of the committee, he did participate in crafting the document, which was released in 2010.

While attending CUC, he served in the Marshall Islands as a student missionary, where he met Diana Johnson, who was also serving as an SM. They married in December 1985. During his career she has served in differing positions at the schools where he taught and presently serves as registrar at BMA. They have two, children, Jared and Kristen. Kristen, a nursing major at Union College, is also a singer, flutist and handbell ringer. 

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