David Thorvald Erickson

On March 1, 1943 Agnes Mary Erickson and Thorvald Leonard Erickson of Maddock, North Dakota welcomed their first son into their home, David “Dave” Thorvald Erickson. He would join his two older sisters, Carol and Mavis. Eventually, they would be joined by two younger sisters, Violet and Margaret. He grew up in Maddock taking an interest in hunting the wild game of North Dakota and enjoying other outdoor pastimes. He also enjoyed building and repairing everything from his own home later in life to a favorite utility trailer, often finding himself comfortable in any wood or metal fabrication shop. Near the end of his high school tenure, he would have a chance encounter with a young girl at a carnival in the neighboring town of Sheyenne, ND. This would be his introduction to someone who would help shape the life he would later have. He met Virginia “Ginny” Nielsen. We’ll get back to that a little later. Following graduation from high school he would eventually enlist in the United States Air Force where he could put his years of experience in the shop and working on area farms to practice. He would become a flight line mechanic stationed in both Missouri stateside and Germany during the Vietnam Conflict. Often he would speak about the friendships he made in Missouri and touring the German countryside in an old VW Bug, sharing photos of castles he would see along the way. Following his time in the military, he would return stateside and eventually reunite with the girl he encountered prior, Ginny. They were married on a very cold December 30, 1967. Weather experts conclude it was a balmy 42 below zero that day, as they drove away to their honeymoon in Canada in his convertible. Eventually he would become a professional firefighter in Minot, ND and work in a machine shop on his off time. His parents living in Oregon got his mind going about moving out west to start his own journey. He followed suit and loaded their possessions in a U-Haul trailer and began the journey west with himself and Virginia each driving a car. They would wind up in the quiet bedroom community of Scappoose, OR. He would work for many years at Oregon Steel Mills and eventually finish his millwright career out in St. Helens, OR at Boise Cascade. His journey also included building a family. He and Virginia would have two kids, his daughter Kim Giesbrecht born October 3, 1970, and his son Jeff Erickson born July 16, 1973, both born in Portland, Oregon. Kim would marry Todd Giesbrecht of Dallas, OR and Jeff would marry Susan Weber of Scappoose, OR. Jeff and Susie would help David grow his family by having their daughters Kamryn and Raleigh, David’s granddaughters. Following his retirement David would stay busy with various projects in his shop, his home-away-from-home. Ultimately his journey here would stop on October 22, 2025 surrounded by his family as he transitioned on. We will see you again Dad, Love your family…

David Thorvald Erickson

March 1, 1943 - October 22, 2025