Harry Edward Erickson, 88, of Hinsdale, formerly of Crete, died May 9, 2024.
He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and brother. He was known for his love of Jesus Christ and his family. His children and his grandchildren were his treasures. He loved playing games, riding bikes, or reading to them. He dedicated his time to writing an email sermon every week without fail for almost eight years, to encourage his family to keep their faith in God. His legacy is a published book of these sermons called Turning Right with GPS, God’s Perfect Solution. He was instrumental in developing and implementing spiritual growth plans for his church, Trinity Lutheran, where he was a member for over 65 years. He adored his wife Marlene and enjoyed their life together.
His favorite pass time was golf, but he also enjoyed bowling and swimming. He enjoyed traveling to many countries in Europe, and many states in the US, and loved Hawaii. He was an avid reader, whose favorite book was the Bible. He also enjoyed reading Joel Rosenberg and mystery novels. He was a skilled handyman and was a hard worker all his life. He graduated from Bloom High school in 1953, and attended Millikin University where he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. He worked for General Electric, Hobart, and was a private accountant on the weekends. He later worked as a marketing manager for Middleby Toastmaster and took classes at Northwestern University at night. In his later years, he was a consultant, who modernized police equipment for Federal Signal.
Harry was married to his wife Marlene (nee Peterson) for 65 years, who passed away in May of 2022. He was a loving father to Cathy (Bill) Merchantz, and Richard Erickson, and his grandchildren Christopher and Victoria Merchantz, Ben and John Erickson. He is also survived by his brother Donald (Kathleen) Erickson and his sister Sandra Michaels and her son Jason.
To view the complete obituary, visit
Harry Erickson Obituary - Hinsdale (1935-2024) (chicagotribune.com)
