Edel Marie Erickson

Edel Marie Erickson
February 19, 1934 - April 22, 2025
Edel Marie Nielsen was born to Jens Peter Richard and Johanna Nielsen in Hjorring, Denmark on February 19, 1934. She was a precocious child who enjoyed school and did particularly well in math; so much so that she won a scholarship to a private school for gifted students.
Then, in April 1940 Germany invaded Denmark. After two hours, tiny Denmark surrendered and the schools were taken over to act as barracks for the German soldiers. Edel particularly remembered waking up in the morning to the terrifying sound of the German soldiers goose stepping in the town square. During the five years of occupation Edel got only one new dress. It was made from potato sacks - the only material they could get.
At the insistence of her grandmother, whom she dearly loved, Edel was baptized at eight and remained an active member of the LDS church both in Denmark and after she came to the U.S.
Edel was the eldest of five children. She had three brothers and one sister. After finishing high school, Edel went into nurses' training and became a registered nurse. She loved being a nurse and specialized first as an operating room nurse, and then went to work in the national mental hospital in Copenhagen.
In 1957, Edel was offered a job working for the owners of the Fuller Paint Company as a housekeeper in Hillsboro, California. So she packed her bag, left nursing, and flew half way around the world to the United States, where she knew no one except her employers.
Shortly after coming to the U.S., at church one day a young man introduced himself as Howard Erickson and asked her name. According to Howard her response was, "I don't know," because she wasn't sure how it would be pronounced in English. She said Howard made up that story. After dating for almost 3 years Howard and Edel were married in the Logan LDS temple on September 20, 1960. They spent their honeymoon in fabulous Heber, Utah.
The couple returned to the San Francisco bay area where Howard worked for the Burroughs Wellcome pharmacutical company. Shortly thereafter, in 1961, they had a baby girl whom they named JoAnn; followed closely by a son they named Grant. Just over three years later their youngest, Helen, came along. In the late 1960s they were living in Pacifica, California where Howard was bishop of the Pacifica ward. Eventually Howard felt it was time to leave California and return to the mountains of Utah. In December of 1969 they moved into the house in Orem where they would both live out the rest of their lives.
Edel had many church callings during their time in Orem. For a number of years she was a Sunday school and Primary teacher that was always given the classes of kids that others were unable to handle; all of whom she was invariably able to effectively teach. (Enquire about her table and wall technique.) For many years, in several different wards and under several different bishops Edel was called as the Relief Society president. A position which she loved and after convincing one bishop of the necessity, she became the first Relief Society president to be included in every Sunday's Priesthood Executive Committee meeting.
Edel was eventually able to become a U.S. citizen; a fact she was extremely proud of. That year she hosted the first of her legendary Fourth of July parties. These parties became the hottest ticket for the Fourth and once you were invited, you were invited in perpetuity. This resulted in several years of attendance well in excess of 50 people. And every year, a grand time was had by all.
An expert at knitting and crochet, Edel had difficulty sitting idle and so was always knitting or crocheting something. Many people have one or more of her afghans, and one women's shelter in Salt Lake received 15 afghans when she decided she needed to get rid of some of her completed projects.
Edel was also renowned for her wedding cakes. Even she lost count of the many, many wedding cakes she had made. In several families you simply didn't have a wedding without Edel having made the cake.
Later in her life Edel learned how to do taxes. For 25 years she worked for H&R Block doing people's taxes, and was a great resource for any friends that had questions on their own taxes. She loved doing taxes; which her son took great pleasure in reminding her, was a sign of a truly sick and twisted mind.
After losing her eternal companion in May of 2016, Edel began a long slow fight with dementia. A fight which she found more and more difficult and distasteful as her physical capabilities and mental faculties slowly left her. Finally she was granted release from that fight, and joined her beloved Howard at 7:30 pm on April 22nd 2025.
A devoted, reliable, and loving friend, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Edel is predeceased by her husband Howard, and her sister Birthe Pedersen. She is survived by 3 brothers: Orla Nielsen, Preben Nielsen, and Eric Nielsen all of Hjorring, Denmark. Her 3 children: JoAnn Wreath (Dana), Grant Erickson, and Helen McCarty (Allen) as well as her favorite caregiver, Brandon Lockwood. Six grand children: A.J. McCarty and wife Hannah, Eric Wreath and wife Emily, Alex Wreath and wife MacKenzie, Shelby (McCarty) Emore and husband Andrew, Stuart Wreath and wife Kylie, and Colin Wreath and soon to be wife Claire. And almost 7 great-grand children: Theodore (Teddy) Wreath, Olive McCarty, Julian Wreath, Calvin Wreath, Penelope (Poppy) Wreath, Josephine (Josie) Wreath, and due in June, Everett Wreath.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made either to the American Cancer Society or your local animal shelter.