Patricia S. Erickson
Long-time Sioux Falls resident, Patti Erickson, born Patricia Sue Hanson, died February 15 in Gainesville, Florida at the age of 94.
Patti was born a full-blooded Norwegian Lutheran in Pierpont, SD in 1930. Growing up in the Great Depression, her family moved to Enderlin, ND, after her father lost his Farmers Store in 1941. Ultimately the family settled in Sioux Falls, where Patti worked at the National Bank of South Dakota for ten years. As a young businesswoman, she still found time to teach Sunday School, perform at the Community Playhouse, and serve as a caregiver to her ailing parents.
She married the love of her life, (Colonel) Darrold Erickson in 1958. Her only child, Tim was born in 1959.
A dedicated Army officer’s wife, Patti supported her husband by organizing military base social activities, food drives, and charities. Patti was most proud of the Mother’s Outreach program she started in Germany, as well as serving as the Red Cross Volunteer Director for a Texas Nursing Home.
The Ericksons’ military assignments included the Pentagon, Paris, Stuttgart, and West Point. Military duty was hazardous and she “held down the fort” while her husband served his tours in Vietnam and the Dominican Republic. She was the Signal Corps Military Wife of the Year at Ft. Hood, and received the Distinguished Volunteer Service Award for Headquarters European Command (EUCOM).
After her husband’s retirement from the military, she worked for the Washington (D.C.) Star Newspaper, “all the way up to the day they folded.” Patti was a talented actress, performing for the West Point Players and many other organizations. Her love of theatre was inherited by her son, who made it his career with her becoming his biggest cheerleader.
Upon her husband’s untimely death in 1992, Patti moved back to Sioux Falls where she served in the Martha Circle and Altar Guild at First Lutheran Church. She was also a member of the Red Hat Society, the SF Women’s Historical Society, and was Mother of the Year for the SF Women’s Club. With her declining health, Patti moved to Florida in 2022 to be near her son and daughter-in-law.
Patti was preceded in death by her dear husband, Darrold; father and mother, Peder and Mathilda (Hauger) Hanson; and sisters, Ruth Burns, Berniece Endres, Mignon Sommers, and Barbara Entringer. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Tim and Lori Erickson, of Alachua, FL., and a large extended family.
Visitation begins at 10:00am, followed by the funeral service at 11:00am Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Miller Funeral Home, 507 S. Main Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD,with burial at Hills of Rest Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Lutheran Church Media Ministry