Graveside Service: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 11:00 am at the Forsyth Cemetery
Ingomar, MT - Erik K. Erickson, 77, of Ingomar passed away Thursday, September 18, 2008 in the company of his family at the Billings Clinic. Erik fell ill on Monday, September 15, 2008 while striving to ensure quality care for his son Collins, currently a resident in Red Lodge.
Erik was born on April 12, 1931 in Miles City, MT, the only child of Andrew and Selma Erickson of Ingomar in east-central Montana. In his early years Erik was raised on the family ranch near Ingomar, along the fjords of Norway, and in the community of Forsyth, experiencing both his Scandinavian heritage and the arid plains of eastern Montana. Erik attended elementary school in both Ingomar and Forsyth, taking an extra year while trying to amend his Norwegian culture with the English language. He attended and graduated from high school in Forsyth in 1951 and was looking forward to the annual reunions with his special friends and classmates in Forsyth on September 19, 2008. Following high school Erik attended a technical school in Los Angeles, returning to the family ranch in 1954. On June 23, 1956 he married his longtime sweetheart, Patricia (Patti) Lou Collins, of Forsyth, and they resided on the Erickson Land & Livestock ranch where they raised their four children, Mark, Collins, Alan, and Marni. They resided on the ranch with the assistance of several hired hands through the years, particularly Jake and Elsie Rudolph, until moving into Ingomar in 1987. At that time he started Erickson Trucking which he operated in the Ingomar/Forsyth region until his passing.
Throughout the years Erik was an active member in the northern Rosebud County region. He served nearly 20 years on the Ingomar School Board and several terms on the Forsyth High School Board, representing and fighting for the special needs of small, rural Montana schools. He was a member of the Elks in Miles City; member and president of the Tongue River Action Committee; member of the Mid-Yellowstone Electric Co-op Board; served for over 40 years as the northern Rosebud County Fire representative; 4-H leader and supporter; one of the original and continued member of the Ingomar Rodeo Club; member and initial president of the Ingomar Water Board; and the unofficial caretaker, maintenance manager, and one of the few remaining residents of the Ingomar community during the past 20 years.
Erik will be remembered for always being available to help neighbor or stranger, providing a tool, spare part, or just his time, a loving partner and father, and for the care and fulfilling life he provided his son Collins. He was a man of few words, choosing instead to lead by example.
Erik was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew and Selma. He is survived by his loving wife of 52 years Patti; sons Mark (Kim Kramer), Collins, and Alan (Jane Nansel); daughter Marni (Todd Talkington); grandchildren Justin, Britnee, Jamie, Andrew, Desiree, Steven, Julissa, Janice, and Erik; a soon-to-be great granddaughter; brother in-law Jim Burt of Havre and the Burt family; step-grandson Max Whitmore; members of the Conroy family; members of the Ingomar community; and his special friends of the 1950s reunion.
Memorials may be given to the F.A.I. R. Foundation
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