Visitation: Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.
Service: Funeral services will begin at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, November 5 at Canton Lutheran Church
Gloria Juliette Erickson, age 93, died peacefully on Saturday, October 31, 2015 at Lyngblomsten Care Center in St. Paul, MN. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, November 5 at Canton Lutheran Church in Canton, SD. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.
Gloria Juliette Ristvedt was born August 18, 1922 in Watertown, SD to Hilbert and Julia (Hegland) Ristvedt. She was the youngest of four children, and grew up on the family farm near Florence in Dexter Township. Her rural upbringing gave her a lifelong love of South Dakota community spirit, family-centered hard work, and a fulfilling and extremely active church life.
Gloria graduated from Florence High School. She then attended Waldorf College, receiving her AB degree. She graduated from Fairview School of Nursing in Minneapolis with an RN degree. It was as a young student nurse that she met and fell in love with Luther Theological Seminary student Erling Norman Erickson. They were united in marriage in Moorhead, MN in 1945 and were blessed with three children. Erling and Gloria served Faith Lutheran in West Fargo, ND, Calvary Lutheran in Lemmon, SD, American Lutheran in Huron, SD and Canton Lutheran and Grand Valley Lutheran in Canton, SD. Gloria continued her education as a busy mother with an active family life, returning to work as her children grew older. She received her BA from Huron College in 1974 and her MA in Psychiatric Nursing from University of SD in 1978. She had long-standing involvement in psychiatric care and worked with her husband and community in the development of the Central SD Mental Health Center and the founding of Our Home Inc. She worked in Huron as an RN at Violet Tschetter Nursing Home and as a nursing instructor at St John’s School of Nursing. She taught at Sioux Valley School of Nursing in Sioux Falls after moving to Canton and was particularly passionate about her mission of educating SVSN students in the care of psychiatric patients at the Veterans’ Hospital. Gloria felt privileged to serve on the board of the Carroll Institute in Sioux Falls. She finished her nursing career as an RN and Medical Procedures Instructor at Good Samaritan Center in Canton, SD.
Gloria and Erling were always busy with artistic and political interests throughout their lives, but especially in retirement she threw herself wholeheartedly into Norwegian rosemaling, continuously taking classes from gold medalist instructors and serving on the board of the South Dakota Rosemaling Association. She was tickled to be asked to paint all the downtown garbage cans in Canton with her beautiful rosemaling. Her family and friends cherish the many gorgeous pieces of her art that she gave them over the years. She also enjoyed playing bridge, WELCA, her many PEO activities and keeping their lovely home so warmly welcoming and hospitable to all their friends and visitors. Above all, Gloria doted on her darling grandchildren and great grandchildren, and was always concerned with their education, well-being and happiness.
She is survived by son David Erickson of Minneapolis, MN and two daughters, Elizabeth Erickson Noren, Taylors Falls, MN, and Ruth Erickson (Masahiko Taketomo), Ridgewood, NJ. Gloria leaves six grandchildren, Anders Noren (Carolyn Williams-Noren), Peter Noren, Anna Noren, Kristian Taketomo, Erik Taketomo, and Edward Taketomo; two great-grandchildren, Ingrid Noren and Iris Noren; along with several nieces and nephews and their children. She was preceded in death by her husband, Erling; her parents; one brother, Norval Ristvedt; two sisters, Thelma Roberts and Ione Nelson; and two brothers in infancy. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to ELCA World Hunger.
David, Elizabeth, Ruth, and families: you are in our thoughts and prayers. Love to you, yours, and the Ristvedt kin from your Erickson/Heen cousins.
Our love and condolences dear cousins. God be with you.
Dear David, Elizabeth and Ruth,
Our love and prayers are with you during this sad time. What a Beautiful Human Being Aunt Gloria was, as all the Ristvedt’s are. Wish we were all closer so we could hug.
Love,
Kent & Debbie
Dear David, Elizabeth, Ruth, and families, Our sincere sympathy to all of you. You know your parents and you will always have a special place in our hearts. You parents were very instrumental in helping me along my faith journey. I have such fond memories of all of you that will forever be treasurers of my heart. You were so blessed to have your mother for 93 years. The last time Larry and I visited with your parents together was after they retired and were still living in Canton – it truly was a heartwarming visit and we shared so much on that day. We are so sorry we have to miss the celebration of your mother’s life however we will be with you in spirit. May the love of God and others surround you and give you peace.
Larry & Fern Marie Mattke
David, Elizabeth, and Ruth,
We wish we could be there with you in Canton tonight and tomorrow. We send our love and warm hugs to you and your extended families. Thinking of you and all the good memories of summer times together with the glamorous Erickson cousins and with Aunt Gloria and Uncle Erling in Lemon, Huron, Norway Lake (and with our grandfather and grandmother in Watertown and at Norway Lake), a train ride with cousin Liz to Detroit, and the sometimes (often) unexpected spur of the minute visits to Canton or Norway Lake with Aunt Marie! I have strong memories of the art and beauty created by both Erling and Gloria in different forms, and the extra dimension and depth that brought to us from spending time with you growing up. Would love to be together to share more memories with you over the next several days.
In lieu of our condolences via flowers at the service tomorrow, we’ve made a contribution to ELCA World Hunger in memory of Aunt Gloria, in fitting with her life-long compassion and care of others during her professional career as well as her on-going dedication to the church’s outreach programs to those in need of help.
Love,
Mary & Ole
Thanks for all of our early morning chats over coffee Gloria, while the rest of the household was asleep. We solved many problems then, but I never did know what happened at PEO … and remind me again, PEO stood for what?
Peace,
Gary