Dorothy Esther Erickson was born on August 4, 1942 in Lemmon, South Dakota to Edward and Althea Mebius. In 1945, her family moved to Armour, South Dakota and at the age of 7 she lost her father. Her mother worked very hard to raise Dorothy and her sisters on her own.
Dorothy attended Del Rapids High School and graduated in 1960. She went on to attend the University of Minnesota from 1961-1962. While there, she met Lee Edward Erickson, the love of her life. On November 21st, 1961, when Dorothy was just 19 years old, they were married. Their wedding took place at her mother, Althea’s, apartment. The couple then relocated to St Louis, MO once Lee graduated from the University of Minnesota and was presented with an offer of employment. They decided to start a family and on November 8, 1963 Dorothy gave birth to their son, Joel Magnus Erickson. Just a few years later their son, Gregory John Erickson, joined their family. Dorothy and Lee were married for 61 years.
Dorothy was an extremely hard worker and accomplished many things in her lifetime. She founded the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program in 1979 and served as its director for 23 years until she retired in 2002. It is currently known as The Voyce. Dorothy loved the work she did with the APA adoption center, whom she volunteered with for over 20 years. She also volunteered with the County Older Resident Program helping seniors with their real estate taxes and as a Medicare counselor with the claims program.
Dorothy had an incredible sense of humor. She hated cooking and flying and absolutely adored her animals and blueberry pie. Her love of black cats was very evident. In September of 1963, Dorothy acquired her first of many black cats and named it Zelda. Rescuing animals was very important to her. She cared for and housed more than 20 dogs and cats throughout her life and fostered countless more. Everyone would give her black cat gifts, and there came a point where she said “No more!” because she had so many. Dorothy’s favorite music was country. She attended numerous music festivals and loved getting photos with all of her favorite country music artists.
Dorothy is survived by her husband Lee, sons Joel and Greg, granddaughter Eden, sister-in-law Joyce, brother-in-law William (Patricia), nieces Allie, Autumn and Danica and nephew Dave along with many dear friends
Funeral will be held on November 11th at 11:00 am at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church 5000 Kerth Rd., St. Louis, MO 63128
RIP, Dorothy…..Friend from MoPac.
I’m grateful to have known Dorothy. I loved when she would stop by my office just to chat while volunteering at the APA — it was a bright spot in my day. She was a fascinating person, and every time we spoke, I learned something new and interesting about her. Dorothy was a kind, compassionate, and loving person. She made a difference to so many, particular all of the kittens she fostered and cared for, and I will miss her greatly.
I worked at the APA where Dorothy volunteered, but as a volunteer she kept us all in line. She was the most dedicated and one of the strongest women I have ever got the pleasure to stand with. She made me me laugh every time I would see her. I use to joke to her that she scares me a little. Lol
I will miss seeing you Dorothy. Rest in Peace and give my doggies a hug and kiss in heaven. There were probably so many animals. Waiting to greet you. You will bei missed by so many.
Dorothy – you will be forever missed by your friends and family at the APA. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the people and pets of the St. Louis area. Working with you for the past almost 10 years was a great pleasure, I will miss your spit fire personality. I hope you are reunited with every animal you ever loved that passed before you.
Forever your friend,
Ashton
My sincerest condolence for all the family, especially Lee. Volunteering at the Midwestern Braille Office is where I met Dorothy and Lee. I enjoyed listening to Dorothy tell stories of her foster kitties, train travels across the country, and other life events. She was a wonderful person to know, and multi talented, too.
I was quite saddened to learn today of Dorothy’s passing. She was a long-time volunteer with CLAIM, the Missouri State Health Insurance Assistance Program (called SHIP). As the Director of that program, I had the honor of knowing Dorothy for the last several years of her service as a Medicare Counselor with CLAIM. She was always a force to be reckoned with and a fierce advocate for Medicare beneficiaries in Missouri. My belated condolences to her family and all who knew her. My predecessor in this role actually mentioned Dorothy to me the other day when we were having a meeting, which tells you something of her impact on Missourians with Medicare.