Rev. Dale Alan Erickson

Our Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, Pastor, and Friend was called to his eternal home on December 14, 2023 following a stroke on October 11, 2023 that kept him hospitalized until December 13, 2023 when he came home under hospice care. He wanted so much to get back to his earthly home.

Dale was born June 5, 1940 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Henry Erickson and Claire Berrigan Erickson. He felt a call from God to study for the ministry while a senior in high school, and at age 18 went to Concordia Junior College in Austin, Texas. After two years he went on to Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His formal seminary training was at Concordia Seminary St. Louis, Missouri graduating in May 1966. He was ordained into the ministry June 19, 1966 at his home church in New Orleans, Louisiana. His first call was to Immanuel Lutheran Church in rural Clarinda, Iowa where he served for three years.

Throughout the remainder of his devoted ministry Dale served four years at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, eighteen years at Zion Lutheran Church in Wausau, Wisconsin, three years at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and eleven years at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Cedarburg, Wisconsin. He retired from active full-time ministry on February 6, 2006, but continued presiding and preaching as a supply pastor at various ELCA churches in the area until right before his stroke. One of those churches was St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Random Lake where he served twice a month for more than eight years.

Dale was a visionary in ministry starting and stewarding numerous outreach efforts:  bringing inner city children from Omaha to the rural church in Iowa to experience life on the farm while also having Vacation Bible School experience, bringing Vacation Bible School to the children of race track workers at Aksarben Race Track in Omaha, as well as Prison Ministry. He was the founder and first president of Greater Wausau Christian Services, an outreach to nursing homes and jail ministry supported by thirteen churches in Wausau. He also introduced and trained Stephen Ministers who developed supportive relationships with people struggling with loss, personal problems, issues of faith, illness etc. All during his ministry Dale served on numerous church and community related boards and committees. Throughout his retirement he taught Bible Studies that participants found nourished their faith, clarified their questions, and expanded their understanding of the Bible. He impacted the lives of thousands of people during his 57 years of ministry. Dale was a true Bible Scholar.

Dale met Mary Pirkel, the love of his life in Montana (an interesting story) in 1963.  They married in her home town of Watertown, Wisconsin on September 11, 1966 and remained devoted to each other for sixty years. Their marriage was blessed with two children, Rachel Anne and Nathan Anthony. Highlights of family time were trips together and time at their cottage on Deep Wood Lake in Langlade County, Wisconsin.

Dale loved nature including daily walks, studying wildlife, birding, gardening, photography, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. In retirement he enjoyed bike riding and spent countless hours clearing invasive plants from the Westlawn School/Faith Lutheran woods for which he received an award from Westlawn School. He volunteered extensively for COPE Helpline, Riveredge Nature Center, Cedarburg Cultural Center and was a decent for the Kuhefuss House Museum.  Dale was a life long learner enjoying the study of many topics including art history, literature, and theology to name a few. He audited classes at UWM each semester for thirteen years in his retirement. He could most often be seen reading a book or the Bible.

He is survived by his loving wife Mary, his daughter Rachel Yee and husband Jonathan, his son Nathan Erickson, and five grandchildren:  Brandon, Jasmine, and Caleb Yee and Christian and Caden Erickson. He is further survived by sisters Darlene (Malcolm) Martin and Knolle Wegener both in the New Orleans area. He was preceded in death by his parents Henry and Claire Erickson and sister Sylvia as well as his mother and father in law Lawrence and Lucille Pirkel.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2024 – 12:00 PM at Faith Lutheran Church N35 W6621 Wilson Street Cedarburg, WI. Visitation will be held at the church on Sat. from 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the charity of your choice are appreciated.