Donald Elias "Don" Erickson

One year ago, on November 28, 2020 our beloved father, brother and grandfather Donald E. Erickson passed away. At the time the local papers ran some lovely stories about the impact of his life from their perspective. His death coming as a complete surprise and so quickly (to us at least) after our mother's passing in February of 2020 we did not formally complete an obituary, so one year later here we go.Donald E. Erickson of Dixon, CA, passed away on November 28, 2020, from suspected heart failure. He was surrounded by loved ones, telling stories and cracking jokes right up until his final minutes. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 1/2 years, Marcia Smith Erickson, who passed February 7, 2020, and his younger brother Bill who passed May 25, 2020. Don is survived by two daughters, Kathleen O'Connor (Mike) and Stacey Gehlken (Steve) and four grandchildren who could do no wrong in his eyes, Kristina Gehlken (Nic Baughman), Emily Gehlken Ostby (Ben), Sean O'Connor (Cammie Tatham) and Sara O'Connor. At the time of his passing Don was also survived by his brother Jim (Connie), his sister Colleen (Steven Sherburne), his sister-in-law Linda Smith Ainsworth (Dick) and a handful of loved nieces and nephews. Since his passing unfortunately his brothers-in-law Steven and Dick as well as his brother Jim have passed away. It has indeed been a tough year and a half for the entire family.Don grew up on a homestead farm outside of Power, Montana. They grew and raised pretty much whatever they needed to get by; flexibility was key for a farmer with so-so soil and a small window before winter. Following high school Don attended what is now known as the University of Montana in Missoula. It was here that on the first day he met his wife, Marcia Smith. Don ultimately chose a pre-dental route and attended Northwestern University for Dental School. During his time at Northwestern, Don joined the Air Force as a commissioned officer of dentistry. Following Dental school Don was stationed at Travis Air Force base for two years.After his time at Travis, Don and Marcia moved to Dixon, CA, where they raised their daughters and lived for over 55 years. Don purchased a dental practice in Dixon and became one of two dentists in town at the time. Don worked extremely hard, and most years would take only one two-week vacation to Montana. Following his retirement from dentistry in 1991, he worked at the Cooley Farm for six seasons, a source of many of his stories. In addition to dentistry and farming, Don was heavily involved in his community. He served on the Dixon Unified School District Board for 12 years, was on the Solano County Civil Service Commission for numerous years, was a Rotarian for over 20 years and post retirement was twice elected Mayor of Dixon in the late 1990s. Don was also a founding member of the Travis Regional Armed Forces Committee and the Old Farts Fantasy Football League. Those who knew him know how much he'd appreciate both of those being in the same sentence. Don loved his time serving the community of Dixon. Watching the growth of the town and being able to be a part of that change was special to him. Family or friends could not visit Dixon without getting a "tour" where they were driven around town to see all the projects the city was currently working on or how and what the farms were doing that season.In their "glory years" Don and Marcia spent time driving back and forth between daughters visiting for holidays, attending various grandkid events, or showing off Dixon during the week of the Mayfair, which was always a hit. The pair were always game for a school grandparents day or just indulging and enjoying watching the grandkids grow up to be amazing adults.In his later years Don could be found telling stories (some accurate), cracking jokes, playing card games, on Facebook playing all the games, at Bud's having lunch with Fred, or at Walmart doing his shopping hoping to bump into someone he knew (or didn't, he wasn't picky) so he could talk.Don's family and friends have missed him every day over this last year. Oddly there has been some comfort that neither he nor mom were on their own very long. This past summer, per Marcia's request, Kathleen and Stacey were able to honor and remember their parents at the family cabin on Lindbergh Lake in Montana. It was Don's request that his ashes also be interred at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, CA and we are likewise honoring that request. We will not be having a formal gathering but instead ask everyone to hug their families and tell an especially bad joke on November 28, 2021 in dad's memory.
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