Betty Lou Erickson, 81

Betty Lou Erickson, 81, of Hudson died with her husband of 60 years, Claire, at their home on Tuesday, March 24.

Betty Lou was born on May 27, 1927, in St. Paul, the daughter of Victor and Cleo (Bentley) Lohman.

She was raised in Hudson, graduating from Hudson High School in the class of ’44. As a young lady, she worked as a “stewardess” for Mid Continent on their DC3s.

She fell in love with a young aspiring entrepreneur, Claire Erickson. The two were united in marriage on March 18, 1949, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Hudson. They were further blessed with children, Marilyn “Mimi,” Nancy, David and Kristi.

Betty was Claire’s soul mate and silent partner as well, giving him the emotional support and encouragement to succeed. In 1981, Erickson Diversified divided, and Claire and his family became solely involved in the retail gasoline business: Erickson Oil Products, DBA Freedom Valu Centers.

Betty’s greatest gift was being a homemaker and a special mother and grandmother. She was so proud of her children and their own achievements. She was an active member of the Bethel Lutheran Church taking pride in volunteering for Bethel’s Scandinavian Food Fest. She also enjoyed being a member of the P.E.O. Chapter BJ.

Furthermore, she took great pleasure meeting with her bridge group. She and Claire were always together, whether swinging the sticks at nearby golf courses or in Florida, boating, or snow skiing in the mountains, or traveling to unique places.

She also enjoyed taking care of the area song birds, knitting Christmas stockings, and rarely missed a challenging puzzle on the Wheel Of Fortune! Earlier in life, she dabbled in painting pictures and rosemaling.

She will remain in the hearts of her daughter Mimi and husband Jim Kron of Hudson and their children Andy, Jenny and David; son David and wife Debi Erickson and their children Ashley, Bradley and Grady; daughter Kristi and her husband Michael Kampmeyer and their children Matthew, Christopher and Drew Kampmeyer.

Betty was preceded in death by her daughter Nancy Lee (1951-1974). Nancy’s death created a painful void in her and Claire’s life. They are now all together for eternity.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Victor and Cleo (Bentley) Lohman.

A funeral service for Betty and her husband, Claire, was at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 30, at Bethel Lutheran Highlands Church, 504 Frontage Road in Hudson, with Pastor Dennis Nelson officiating. Special music was provided by Layton James, John Rudeen and Colleen Raye.

Burial was in the family plot at Willow River Cemetery in Hudson. Their casketbearers were their grandchildren, who meant the world to them! Honorary casketbearers were Gary Vander Vorst, Darren Forbes, Marc Campbell and Larry Thompson.

Visitation was Sunday, March 29, from 2 until 7 p.m. at the O’Connell Family Funeral Home, 520 S. 11th St., in Hudson.

To continue the legacy of Claire and Betty, memorials will be used to set up the Claire and Betty Lou Erickson Family Scholarship Fund, 1231 Industrial St., Hudson WI 54016.

Funeral services were entrusted to O’Connell Family Funeral Home.

Tags: obituaries, hudson, betty_erickson