Cowlitz County WA Archives Obituaries.....Erickson, John E     March 13, 2006
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
P. J. Stepp steppmom5@hotmail.com April 5, 2006, 11:07 pm

Published in The Daily News on 3/17/2006. 
  
John E, Erickson, an 80-year resident of Longview, died peacefully on March 13 
at the age of 96.

 He was born October 18, 1909, in Moscow Idaho, to Henry and Mary Holten 
Erickson. As a child, John attended a one-room school and helped work the 
family farm, delivering milk by horse and buggy. The opportunity for work at 
the Long­Bell lumber mill brought the family to Longview in 1926. In 1928, he 
began what would be a 44-year career at the Cowlitz County PUD, then known as 
the Washington Gas and Electric Co. John retired as Superintendent of 
Operations and Maintenance in 1972. In 1935 he married Hazel Joyce Rydberg. As 
their family grew to include four children, John built two homes on 24th 
Avenue. The larger one was their residence from 1949 until 2004, when they 
moved to an apartment at the Canterbury Inn. After retirement, John and Hazel 
enjoyed extensive travel and winter months in Mesa Arizona. They danced 
regularly with Merry Mixers and the American Pattern Dance Club. John also 
played the piano for Alzheimer's patients and drove for Meals on Wheels. He was 
an 80-year member of Trinity Lutheran Church and a lifetime member of the 
Masonic Lodge and the Elks Lodge. He also belonged to the International 
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. John was a loving husband, father and 
grandfather whose life centered around his family. He enjoyed gardening, 
especially after retirement, and in earlier years was an avid fisherman. Music 
was a basic part of life from childhood on. As a young man, he played in a 
small band for dances. All family gatherings included a sing-along of songs and 
hymns with John at the piano. After the move to Canterbury, he played for the 
residents there. He is survived by his wife, Hazel, and his daughters Linda, of 
Tampa, Florida, and Eileen Swanson (son-in-law Albert) of Seattle, and his son 
Tom (daughter-in-law Christine) of Vancouver, W A. His four grandchildren are 
Jeffrey and Julie Erickson and Amy and Stephen Swanson. He is also survived by 
a sister, Sally Middendorf of Seattle, and a brother, Donald Erickson of 
Portland, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his son, 
Stephen John, a USMC Captain who died in 1971 while on active duty, and by five 
sisters. Private internment will take place at Longview Memorial Park. A 
celebration of John's life will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 2021 
Washington Way in Longview, on March 25 at four o'clock in the afternoon. 
Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church or a charity of 
choice. Dahl-McVicker Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. 

 
 


Additional Comments:
The Daily News, Longview, WA   www.tdn.com

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