Obituary | Carolyn Erickson of Amidon, North Dakota | Krebsbach Funeral Service (2024)

Carolyn Erickson, 82, of Amidon, ND, passed away on Wednesday , June 16, in Dickinson, ND.

Funeral Services for Carolyn, will be on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Bowman Lutheran Church. Pastor Renee Johnson and Pastor Charles Johnson will officiate with burial to follow in the Lebanon Lutheran Cemetery, Amidon, ND at 2:00 p.m. There will be a Family and Friends Service on Monday, June 21, 2021 at the Lebanon Lutheran Church in Amidon beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Carolyn Orrine Nagel Erickson. Her game was music. Her playing of the piano and organ inspired some of the best that is within us. Her piano and organ teachers would be very proud of the player she became.

Carolyn was also proficient in phone messages and written notes to so many people in the community and beyond. Ma Bell could never have imagined what an instrument the phone would become. So when Carolyn discovered unlimited long distance –wow, get out of the way!

She got into calling her children, grandchildren and siblings virtually every day. A lot of other people got calls as well. She hoped they would uplift their mood.

Her card and letter sending got a little out of hand too when someone dumped a large volume of unused greeting cards in her hands. Carolyn started sending random cards with personal messages to people all over – a graduation card to a senior citizen, a Father’s Day card to one of her daughters, or who knows what? In fact, one time Carolyn sent cards to every single resident of a local nursing home. We think most recipients enjoyed them.

Over the years, a number of community programs and rescue missions began in the inconspicuous little house Carolyn and husband Jerry shared in tiny Amidon. But Carolyn didn’t careabout appropriateness or appearances — especially when it came to someone else’s welfare.

One example followed a serious snowstorm in 1997, when Carolyn received calls from farmers and ranchers who weredesperate for whatever they could get to feed their cattle. A friend suggested reaching out to Lutheran Social Services for help, so Carolyn did and organized an LSS meeting with a group of people at their modest home, marking the beginning of a newmission.

At Carolyn’s last worship service on the piano, she played Jerry’s favorite hymn: “Thy Holy Wings.” This Swedish song was known to be sung by fishermen at night. From boat to boat, these tough guys would exchange verses with each other, singing in part, “Thy holy wings, oh savior, spread gently over me, and let me rest securely through good…oh, be my strength…” Carolyn’s touching performance is something Jerry will always carry in his heart.

Born to Orrin and Clarice Nagel on June 27, 1938 in Cresco, Iowa, Carolyn was the oldest of five children, followed by two sisters, Lois and Ardis, and two brothers, Harlan and Roger. Tragically, Roger, the youngest child in the family, died of an aneurysm in 1997 at age 45.

Carolyn was raised on a farm near Cherry Grove, Minnesota, and was drawn to music at a young age. She participated in quite a few music programs while growing up, including a music festival at Luther College while in her senior year at Wykoff High School. The experience largely led to her decision to attend Luther College after graduation. And that’s where she met the love of her life, Jerry Wallace Erickson, a Minnesota farm kid from further up north.

Carolyn successfully earned her teaching degree. Shortly after in 1961, Jerry graduated too. One week later, the two were marriedin what is now the Cherry Grove Methodist Church. Carolyn’s Uncle Oscar presided over the wedding.

It was on to St. Paul from there, where Jerry would attend Luther Seminary while Carolyn taught grade school at Island Lake Elementary School in Shoreview, a St. Paul suburb.

In 1963, when Jerry started his internship in Casper, Wyoming, Carolyn was pregnant with their first child. What they soon learned after the move was that pregnant women were not allowed to work. That meant one less paycheck than they expected and needed, which was even more challenging after baby boy Mark arrived in January 1964. So Carolyn took on a new hobby: coupons.

At the time, any coupon could be used for similar products if the advertised item wasn’t available in the store. So, for example, a coupon for $1 toward a big brand cereal could be used to buy the generic version instead. If that generic cereal only cost 75 cents, the store would return the remaining coupon value of 25 cents to the shopper. Carolyn figured this out quickly, turning “couponing” into a source of income and a lifetime passion.

Carolyn continued honing her money management skills over the years, leading her to ultimately serve in five treasurer roles at the same time up until her death: Lebanon Lutheran Church, Lebanon Lutheran ELCW, Amidon Senior Citizens, Amidon Community Food Shelf and Amidon Cemetery Association. Herrole on the Amidon Cemetery Association, and years of mowing the cemetery with Jerry by her side, have earned her a premium burial space at the front gate.

During their time in Casper, Jerry and Carolyn fell in love with the beauty of the west. So when Jerry was ordained in 1965, he accepted a call to Lemmon, South Dakota. Every Sunday the couple would take a 160-mile round trip to four different Lutheran churches: Bethesda north of Morristown, Bethel in Morristown, Prince of Peace north of Lemmon, and Rosebudsouth of White Butte, and also next to the country road leading to the family’s cabin at Shadehill Lake. Carolyn in particular loved the peacefulness of the cabin and often spent weekendsthere with the kids throughout the summer from 1968 to 1982, when the cabin was sold.

Carolyn gave birth to two daughters while in Lemmon: Kyrsten in November of 1965 and Angie in March of 1970. In the fall of 1970, Carolyn and Jerry received devastating news: A large lump they discovered in Angie’s stomach was a Wilms tumor, a form of childhood cancer. This led to many visits to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, followed by surgery and multiple rounds of chemo. And finally, a healthy daughter.

This experience sparked yet another new passion for Carolyn: fighting cancer. So when the family moved to Bowman, North Dakota in 1973 after Jerry accepted a call at Bowman Lutheran Church, Carolyn started volunteering with the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. She continued with the organization over the years, taking on increasing responsibilities and affording the family numerous vacation opportunities that would not have been possible without her commitment.

But Carolyn always had room for another new challenge, and this one would be with her to the end: the pipe organ. When the family moved to Bowman, Carolyn was pleasantly surprised by the church’s impressive set of pipes. So she picked up the organ manual and, well, you know the rest: Now Carolyn was also tickling the ivories with her feet.

Over the years in Bowman, Carolyn often substituted as a music teacher while participating in a variety of church activities and continuing in her role with the American Cancer Society. Along the way, Jerry and Carolyn started attending workshops about making lifestyle changes and simplifying in order to provide for others: “To live simply so others can simply live.” This led to the decision to strike out on a new adventure: Moving to Amidon to open The Country Store.

The store provided products and services to the community while also serving as a vehicle for Jerry and Carolyn to connect with others, including local residents and people stopping in while on their way to other destinations. Jerry recalls times when 30 or so kids from the Amidon country school would stop by to get a small treat or just to say “hello.” Or Carolyn’sreputation for making the “best sloppy joes in town,” often leading to quite the crowd at lunch. Or folks just dropping in to play cards, no purchase required. Everyone was always welcome at The Country Store.

After 10 years, Carolyn and Jerry made the decision to sell the store to spend more time with the causes they cared about, including the local food shelf and Badlands Lutheran Bible Camp, and to support their expanded ministry pastoring and piano playing in three congregations: Lebanon Lutheran in Amidon, Pierce Congregational near Scranton and First Congregational in New England.

In 2002, the couple officially retired – sort of. An estimated 700 people honored them at their Slope County Fairgroundscelebration. But after the event, the couple never truly stopped serving others or working for the causes they cared about. Carolyn continued playing piano at Lebanon Lutheran Churchand serving in five different treasurer roles. Both Jerry and Carolyn continued volunteering at the Amidon food shelf. And both continued to support and serve the people and communities they love.

At some point, Carolyn discovered yet another personal passion: Mowing lawns.

June 3, 2021 marked Jerry and Carolyn’s 60th wedding anniversary. The family celebrated in Fargo on June 5. All of their children and grandchildren were there. Most of their siblings were there. Good friends were there. Stories and laughs were shared. Tons of photos were taken. And all were blessed to have this final opportunity to be with and honor this amazingcouple.

Carolyn was a remarkable person, whose colorful socks paled in comparison to her colorful personality. She was funny, often (and intentionally) in the most inappropriate ways. She loved her husband, children, grandchildren, siblings and all of her family.She loved the people in their congregations and the surrounding communities. She loved helping others and surprising people with her kindness and generosity. She loved tacos. She loved the “fill a bag for $1 deal” at the Cedar Chest thrift store. But most of all, Carolyn loved God and had an unwavering faith in our salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Carolyn will live on in our hearts forever and one day will join us all in heaven. But for now, she will rest in peace.

Carolyn was predeceased by her parents, Orrin and Clarice (Bessingpas) Nagel and youngest brother, Roger.

She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Jerry; children and spouses, Mark and Sue Erickson of Bismarck, Kyrsten Braun and Pape of St Paul MN, Angie and Shawn McCarthy of Fargo, grandchildren, Alec, Adam, Benjamin, Marlee, Megan and Cullen. Her siblings, Lois Nagel of Cherry Grove MN, Harlen Nagel of Cherry Grove MN, Ardis and Greg Grossbach of Owatonna MN, Della and Mark Davis of Gainesville FL.

Krebsbach and Kulseth Funeral Services in charge of the arrangements.

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