Joan Paulette Erickson

Joan P. Erickson, 71, died peacefully with her family at her side after a brief illness on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse. Joan was born on May 27, 1948 to Casper and Leona (Solberg) Erickson, the oldest of four children. She was baptized in Ettrick and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in La Crosse, where she was a member for most of her life. She graduated from Logan High School in 1968. She was blessed to live most of her life with her beloved mother Leona. After the passing of her mother, Joan worked for many years at Riverfront, LLC, where she prepared small business mailings.

Joan is survived by her brothers Terrance (Sue) Erickson of La Crosse and R. Scott (Mary) Erickson of Onalaska and one sister Peggy (Steve) Peterson of Wichita, KS.; 8 nieces and nephews Joshua (Rachael) Erickson of Sun Prairie, Jacob (Jessie) Erickson of La Crosse, Jessica (Shawn) Erickson Bacon of La Crosse, Jenna (Andy) Fernholz of La Crosse, Jordana (Bobbie) Reinhart of Fitchburg, Lucas (Tiffany) Peterson of Goddard, KS, Aaron Peterson of Park City, KS, and Cory (Bethany) Peterson of Overland Park, KS; 21 great nieces and nephews, as well as numerous cousins and extended family. Joan was preceded in death by her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins Gene Barnes, Steven Haugen and Ronald Solberg.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 24 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1010 Sill Street, La Crosse. Pastor Roger Grow will officiate. Burial will be in Ettrick Cemetery in Ettrick, Wisconsin.. Family and friends may call at Trinity Lutheran Church from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 23, and again on Monday from 10 a.m. until the time of services.

More than anything, Joan deeply loved her family and lived for family gatherings. She loved spending time with her mother Leona, her special aunts Geneva (Paul) Barnes and Lillian (Hiram) Haugen, and her special friend Lois Kremer. She adored her nieces and nephews and was blessed to have many great nieces and nephews. She was so proud to be a great aunt and would tell anyone she met. Every year, she couldn’t wait to celebrate her birthday with family and her special nephew Jacob, whose birthday was the day after hers. She also had a special affection for dogs and loved snuggling with Smalls and Lilah. As a child, Joan enjoyed spending time at the Solberg family farm in rural Ettrick with her siblings and cousins. Family was everything to Joan, and she held a special place in the hearts of all her family and friends.

Joan had many talents and skills. She was an expert at latch hook rugs, making countless gifts for her nieces and nephews. She played a mean game of Uno and was a whiz at puzzle books and word searches. She loved reading and always had her nose in a book. She had an uncanny memory, remembering the birthdays and ages of everyone in her family and extended family. Her sense of humor was always well-timed. Joan was a wonderful daughter, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. She was truly one of kind with a generous, loving heart. She will be deeply missed by everyone she knew and will never be forgotten.

Joan’s family would like to thank the many caregivers who helped care for Joan in her later years. The family would also like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the caring Doctors and Staff at Gundersen Health System for their excellent care.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to The Joan Erickson Memorial Fund, 1925 Nakomis Avenue, La Crosse, WI 54603 to benefit area charities.