Cam Aylward Erickson

Cam A. Erickson was born July 27, 1947 in Davenport, IA. His parents were Bennett and Carol (Gudim) Erickson. His brothers are Norman, Forrest, Owan (1952-1985) and Lan. Cam, along with his four brothers, spent a good part of his early life in Cameroon, Africa, where his parents were missionaries for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren from 1950 to 1966. For most of the time that the Bennett Erickson family lived in Africa, they resided near a village about three miles outside of Kaele, a small town in northern Cameroon.

When the family returned to the United States in the spring of 1966, Cam enlisted in the Army. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam. Following his discharge from military service in March 1969, Cam settled in the Pacific Northwest where he met Barbara Bluff from Lynnwood, WA. They were married in Rock of Ages Church, June 17, 1973. In the years following, Cam and Barbara had three children: Lori, Lance and Jay. Lori and Lance were born in Cameroon while Cam and Barbara were serving as missionaries there, and their third child, Jay, was born in Seattle. Jay and his wife Katrina perished in 2012 in an airplane accident while serving as missionaries in Zambia.

Cam’s first love was for the Lord and his family. Though he had a variety of interests and skills, his greatest desire was to serve God and to be faithful to Him. Cam was an excellent mechanic and a skilled fabricator. He had an acute mind capable of seeing through complex mechanical issues, and he could fix just about anything. Cam’s love for flying led him to get a Commercial pilot’s license for single and multi-engine aircraft, plus an instrument rating and an Airframe and Powerplant license, all of which he put to good use both in the States and overseas. Throughout his lifetime, Cam’s varied work assignments included the following:

• Operated heavy equipment In the Army Corps of Engineers including two tours of duty in Vietnam (1966 to 1969)

• Operated a multilith printing press for two years; drove a school bus for one year; worked at a car rental agency while learning to fly; drove a semi-truck for one year (1969 to 1975)

• Served as a charter pilot for Orlando Airways, Window Rock, AZ, flying a Piper Aztec, a Cherokee Six, and a Cessna 210 (1975 to 1976)

• Served Lutheran Brethren World Missions in Cameroon, Africa, as an automotive mechanic and business administrator (1976 to 1979)

• Served as corporate bush pilot for S.E.M.R.Y., a rice-production company in Cameroon, with sole charge of aircraft maintenance for a Piper Lance II and a Cessna 206 with Robertson STOL modification (1979 to 1986)

• Worked as a self-employed semi-tractor owner/operator (1986 to 1987)

• Was a research mechanic for wind-tunnel testing at Boeing in Seattle (1987 to 1989)

• Served his 2nd stint as business manager and maintenance supervisor for Lutheran Brethren World Missions, Cameroon (1989 to 1991)

• Crop-dusted for Farrar Flying Service in Goodway, Alabama; also, did cotton harvesting at Saucer Farms, Goodway, Alabama (1991)

• Worked as manager responsible for crew scheduling, equipment maintenance and production control At Phoenix Organic Products, Marysville, WA, he worked (1991 to 1996)

• Was responsible for construction of a Seawind (experimental aircraft) first with KNG INC, and then for Polytron, Inc. which included aircraft mechanical work and fabrication (1996 to 1998)

• Did annual aircraft inspections, engine rebuilds, and airframe maintenance at Aircraft Inspection and Repair, Inc., Arlington, WA (1999 to 2005)

• Was responsible for general aviation aircraft maintenance, annual inspections, and overhauling Lycoming and Continental engines At Norman Aviation Service, Everett, WA; also supervised A&P trainee (2005 to 2008)

• Was an A&P (airframe and powerplant) mechanic at Boeing. In his last years of work at Boeing, Cam’s team prepared the Dreamliners for their first flights, fixing those things not completed on the assembly line. When early Dreamliners had significant battery issues, Cam was part of a team sent to Japan for six weeks to implement a fix. Cam retired from Boeing in July 2014. (2008 to 2014)

Cam passed away peacefully Wednesday March 8, 2023, in San Tan Valley, AZ, following a lengthy illness with dementia. Cam was preceded in death by his parents Bennett and Carol, his brother Owan, and Owan’s wife Doreen and child Timothy, and his son Jay, and Jay’s wife Katrina. Cam is survived by Barbara, his wife of almost 50 years (June 17th would have been 50 yrs); daughter Lori Barth (husband Brian); son Lance (wife Caroline); grandchildren Lucas, Amanda, Jacob, Marina, and Coral Barth; and Elaina and Riley Erickson. Cam is also survived by brothers Norm (Gloria), Forrest (Julie), and Lan (Susan); and numerous nephews and nieces.

Blessed be the memory of Cam Erickson!

Internment is scheduled at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park, Friday, April 28th at 1:00 PM.

A memorial service will be held at Maple Park Lutheran Church, Saturday, April 29th at 3:30 PM

Church Address: 17620 60th Ave West, Lynnwood, WA 98037