James Erickson's Obituary
James David Erickson, 77 of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Vero Beach, Florida passed from this life on Monday, November 5, 2018 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.James is survived by one son, David Erickson and wife Kristi of Jenks, Oklahoma; one daughter, Krista Robertson and husband David of Lithia, Florida; one sister, Patricia “Pat” Erickson of Bowling Green, Ohio; and four grandchildren, Ella Erickson, Liam Erickson, Savanna Robertson, and Camden Robertson. James was preceded in death by his wife, Audrey J. Erickson in 2006 and his parents.James David Erickson was born on July 7th, 1941 in Salem, Ohio. He was the first child of the late Paul Erickson and Florence (Huston) Erickson. Raised in Youngstown, Ohio with his younger sister, Patricia, he graduated from Chaney High School in 1959 and Youngstown University in 1964 earning a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army. Upon completion of his military duty at the Savannah, Illinois Army Depot in 1966, he was hired by Ford Motor Company as a Facilities Engineer at the Dearborn Glass Plant in Dearborn, Michigan.While attending the Detroit Swedish Evangelical Church, Jim met and married the love of his life, Audrey Gustafson on July 10, 1971. A year later he was chosen to be the Engineering Supervisor for the new Tulsa Glass plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma moving with Audrey to Broken Arrow. Jim and Audrey were blessed with 2 children, Krista and David. After retiring from Ford in 1997, Jim and Audrey became snowbirds and moved part time to Vero Beach, Florida to spend their winters with family in the warm sunshine.Jim was active in the community serving in many positions in his local church and his local genealogy group. One of his biggest passions was the Boy Scouts of America. Even after his son was no longer active in Scouts, Jim continued to volunteer at both the troop and council level. He earned many distinctions through his scouting activities including the Silver Beaver Award. Jim was instrumental in shaping the lives of hundreds of boys and young men through his many years of dedicated service to Scouts.Some of Jim’s other favorite pastimes included watching Union High School and Oklahoma State football. He enjoyed traveling and stamp collecting. One of his favorite hobbies was trading, collecting and organizing Boy Scout patches, badges, rank and other memorabilia.Jim was very devoted to his family. In addition to being a loving husband, father, brother, grandfather and son, he was interested in learning about generations of the past. Jim spent countless hours researching his and Audrey’s family tree so that he could learn about those who came before and leave that history for generations to come.A memorial service will be held at 10a.m. on Saturday, November 10, 2018 at Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. James will be laid to rest at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Fort Pierce, Florida on Saturday, November 17th.Memorials may be made to Boy Scouts of America, 4295 S. Garnett Road, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74146 or Little Lighthouse, 5120 E. 36th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135.
What’s your fondest memory of James?
What’s a lesson you learned from James?
Share a story where James' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with James you’ll never forget.
How did James make you smile?