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John Gilbert Erickson, 79, passed away at his home in Polk City on November 18, 2022. He was with his beloved wife of 35 years, Carolyn.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 21, 2022, at Memorial Services of Iowa (4208 N. Ankeny Blvd). A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, also at the funeral home.

John, the youngest of four children, was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on August 23, 1943 to Verne Franklin Erickson and Daisy Pauline West. Growing up in Capital Heights, he caddied at Grandview Golf Course and later played baseball and basketball at North and Valley High Schools. He coached his sons’ little league teams, enjoyed hunting and trapping as a young man, and played golf and fished well into retirement. He was a self-taught guitar player and enjoyed two-stepping with his wife, Carolyn. He retired after over 35 years as a journeyman electrician for IBEW Union Local 347, and was rarely seen without either a cup of coffee or a cigarette in his hand. He was a funny storyteller and was known to never pass up a good donut.

John is survived by his wife, Carolyn; three siblings, Mary Lou Lafferty, Donald Erickson, and Martha Cort; children with his first wife, Margaret Cooper: Hondo Erickson, John Franklin Erickson (Jenny), and Wendy Hill (Pat); step-children, Barb Buse (Darryl) and Mark Frerichs; seven grandchildren, Hannah and Jake Hill, Katherine and Julia Erickson, Trevor and Zach Buse, and Korbyn Frerichs; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He will be missed.