Gordon J. Erickson of Folsom, California, passed away June 9, 2019. He was 94. Mr. Erickson was born and raised in Chicago and at the age 17, joined the US Navy, serving in the Mediterranean and Atlantic during World War II. After the war, he would attend Cornell College in Iowa, where he met Ruth Anderson, the love of his life. He graduated from college, the first in his family to do so, and married Ruth in 1949. The Ericksons eventually moved from the Midwest to California in 1958, settling in the Santa Ynez Valley (SYV) to raise their family. Gordon was a successful partner in the Shelley-Erickson Insurance Agency and served his community in a number of ways: as a Commander of the local American Legion post, as a member of the VFW and SYV Presbyterian Church, and as a Rotarian. With colleagues and associates he helped encourage Ronald Reagan to run for governor of California. He is survived by his loving wife of 69 years, Ruth J, Erickson, son Allan and wife Jodi and their five children; Ian (Erica), Sean (Melody), Eva, Luke and Allana; his daughter Cindy and husband Brian Schutt, and their two children; Andrew and Erica (Daniel) Calvert, and great-grandsons Levi and Desmond Calvert.
A future memorial service in the SYV is planned. He will always be remembered asa a kind and generous man who put God, family and country first.
