Wanderlust and adventure suited this middle child of a small town family. By age 5 she knew she would not be staying up north to be a wife, mother or family person.
Judy was second out of 4 children to Orville and Emma (Eichberg) Erickson at the Cass Lake hospital in Cass Lake MN. She was Baptized and Confirmed at the Immanuel Lutheran Church (MS) in Cass Lake and was a Sunday School Teacher. Her clear memories of being 3, 4 and 5 years old helping her father sustained her throughout her life. She never took the path well traveled. After graduating from Cass Lake High School in 1965, she moved to Bemidji and worked part time and went to College part time, receiving a Bachelor of Science (teaching) degree in 1969 in Social Studies, French and German. Teaching jobs were in short supply in those years (unless one had a coaching license to go with the Social Studies) so she moved to Canada and studied at the Universitie Lavalle in Quebec. A glorious adventure!
When she ran out of cash, she moved back to St Paul just until she could bank roll her move to France, took a job in Customer Service at Northwestern Bell and spent the next 30 years as a Corporate Trainer at Bell, US West, AT&T and Qwest (traveling throughout the upper mid-west and the US representing the company). In that time she adopted 2 children from Colombia. Jordanna arrived at age 3 in 1980 from Neva. Christoffer arrived at 8 months in 1982 from Bogota. All thoughts of France were gone.
She worked on the family history of her father’s side of the family and took her father to Sweden in 1974 to meet his cousins. She has stayed in touch with them ever since, visiting them frequently and having them visit here. Third, fourth, and fifth generation Swedes and Americans now know each other.
Sweden (Stockholm) was her second love, but the beaches of Quintanaroo Mexico called often. Her interest in heritage stitching kept her hours occupied as well as reading any book available, gardening, scrapbooking and working on the family trees.
Her beloved father passed away in 1983 of lung cancer and her mom in 1986 of sadness. She was so proud to be a mom she never considered she would one day be a Mormor or Farmor (Swedish for Grandmother). Her grandchildren are Brandon and Ovedia Johnson, Andrejs and Aivita Dombrovskis from her daughter; and Tyson, Alyssa, Jennessa, Graciella, & Alexander Erickson from her son; all of whom survive her. She is also survived by Jordanna (Guntis) Dombrovskis, and Christoffer (Meagan) Erickson; her brothers David (Charlene) Erickson and Terry Erickson, and her sister Janice Brogger, many nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews.
Life is a journey, not a destination. You take the ticket you are given and cherish it. After all, there is a story there.
Visitation at 9:30am, service at 11:00 am on July 24th at St Paul’s Lutheran Church. 710 E Broadway, Osseo MN.
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