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Jerald Erickson

Oct. 6, 1941-Aug. 2, 2014

Jerald W. Erickson, 72, of Maquoketa, Iowa, died Saturday morning, Aug. 2, 2014, at the Genesis Medical Center, West Campus, in Davenport, Iowa.

A celebration of Jerald’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014, at First Lutheran Church in Maquoketa. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014, at the Carson Celebration of Life Center in Maquoketa. Burial will be at the Mount Hope Cemetery, Maquoketa.

Jerald Wayne Erickson was born Oct. 6, 1941, in Rugby, to Frank and Selma (Iverson) Erickson. He grew up in Towner where he was baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church. He graduated from Towner High School where he participated in music and class plays. He married Bonnie Larson on Oct. 10, 1964, at First Lutheran Church in Lignite.

Jerald and Bonnie first lived in the Minot area where Jerald was employed at Lindsay Bros. Company. In 1967 they moved to Melrose, Minn., where he began his cheesemaking career working for Kraft Cheese, then Land ‘O Lakes Cheese in Zumbrota, Minn., LeSeur Cheese Company in LeSeur, Minn., and Prairie Land Cheese Inc. in Powers Lake. In 1980 Jerald became plant manager of Beatrice Cheese in Preston, Iowa. They bought a home just outside of nearby Maquoketa and have lived in the Maquoketa area since that time. In their retirement years they wintered in Mesa, Ariz.

Jerald loved music and was a member of the Barbershopper’s Chorus in St. Peter, Minn. He also had been a member of the First Lutheran Church in Maquoketa, Son’s of Norway and the Swedish Institute. He had been a faithful member of many church choirs and of the Monte Vista Chorus and Vista Singers in Mesa. Outside of his love for music was his devotion and love for his family. Additionally he enjoyed camping and meeting new people. He was known for his great sense of humor and loved to share laughter with others.

Those left to honor Jerald’s memory include his wife, Bonnie Erickson, of Maquoketa, Iowa; daughters Caroline (and husband Rory) Garien of Edmond, Okla., and Camille (and husband Jonathan Fruen) Erickson, of Saint Paul, Minn.; three grandsons, Aaron, Cole and Tad; sisters-in-law, Barbara Erickson and Annette Erickson; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Allen and Kathy Larson; and all his special nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister at birth, and his brother, John Milton Erickson.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, a Jerald Wayne Erickson memorial fund has been established.

Online condolences may be left at (www.CarsonAndSon.com).