Service: A memorial service will take place at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 7, 2018 at Norway Lake Lutheran Parish, New London, MN. Burial of his ashes will take place in the fall at Canton Lutheran Cemetery, Canton, SD.

       David Erling Erickson was born March 17, 1946 in Fargo, ND, and died unexpectedly on December 26, 2017, in Minneapolis, MN.  He was the firstborn child of Gloria Juliette Erickson (Ristvedt) and Rev. Erling Norman Erickson. He was soon joined by sisters Elizabeth Erickson Noren and Ruth Marie Erickson. The family lived in West Fargo, ND, Lemmon, SD, and Huron, SD, where his father served as the ELCA Lutheran Parish Pastor.  David attended elementary school in both Lemmon and Huron. He also attended Junior and Senior High School in Huron, graduating in 1964. David graduated from Concordia College, in Moorhead, MN in 1968 with double majors in History and Psychology and a minor in Philosophy. He went on to attend Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN. His studies ceased at Luther when he became a Juvenile Corrections Officer and Group Supervisor at Hennepin County Home School from 1973-2003 at their facility in Glen Lake, MN. He kept very busy working for several years post retirement at Mississippi Market Food Cooperative in St. Paul, which he enjoyed tremendously. David also happily volunteered for many years in the Grace-Trinity Tutoring Program in South Minneapolis. On a weekly basis, he both tutored school age children and helped make and serve dinner.

            David greatly loved his daily treks all over the Twin Cities to a carefully vetted group of coffee houses and restaurants, where everyone seemed to know him. He dearly loved seeing his niece, nephews, cousins and old friends when he would bump into them at a variety of venues. A voracious reader, he was always found with newspapers or magazines under his arm. He was an accomplished musician and could play the clarinet, piano and pipe organ quite well. He enjoyed attending the Guthrie Theater. He was a lap swimmer and worked out nearly every day for years at the YMCA. He looked forward to spending time with family at their Lake cabin and many summer and fall weekends found him busy socializing with the old and new friends he had there, at the Lutheran Church, and the Old Log Church, where he took a very strong interest in the Norway Lake Lutheran Historical Association.

            David’s survivors include his sisters, Elizabeth and Ruth (Masahiko Taketomo), niece and nephews, Anders Noren (Carolyn), Peter Noren, Anna Noren, Kristian Taketomo (Katherine), Erik Taketomo and Edward Taketomo,  two grand-nieces, Ingrid and Iris, one aunt, Delores Walker, many cousins, their spouses and children. He was preceded in death by both parents, Erling and Gloria Erickson.

            A memorial service will take place at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 7, 2018 at Norway Lake Lutheran Parish, New London, MN.   Burial of his ashes will take place in the fall at Canton Lutheran Cemetery, Canton, SD.