Wendell Erickson

Hills, MN        Wendell Erickson age 93, of Hills, MN died Wednesday, August 8, 2018 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.        Funeral services will be 10:30 AM Saturday, August 18, 2018, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills, MN with Rev. Maggie Berndt-Dreyer officiating. Burial will follow at Flowerfield Cemetery in Hills.      Visitation will be from 3:00 to 8:00 PM with family present from 5:00 to 8:00 PM Friday, August 17th, at the Jurrens Funeral Home of Hills, MN.        In lieu of flowers family wish memorials to be designated to the Wendell and Kathryn Erickson Scholarship Fund at 105 N Water Ave. Hills, MN 56138       Wendell Oliver Erickson was born June 17, 1925, at Stanchfield, Minnesota, the son of Raymond and Helen (Anderson) Erickson. The oldest of four children, he grew up working on the family farm from an early age. He graduated from Braham High School in 1943. Wendell joined the U.S. Army Infantry in 1944 and served in the Pacific theater. After the war ended he taught English to adult learners in Chungju, Korea for the remainder of his enlistment. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota in 1951.       In 1953 he married Kathryn Ann Thorsgard, a home economics teacher at Hills High School. He has said that this was the best decision he ever made.  They were married for sixty-five years.      He taught vocational agriculture and adult farm management for the Hills school district, later Hills-Beaver Creek, for many years. He also served as FFA advisor, 4-H leader, and as a volunteer for the Rock County fair. Later, after serving in the legislature, he joined the adjunct faculty at Southwest Minnesota State University in the political science department, and taught classes in state and local government for ten years.      Wendell was elected to the Minnesota State House of Representatives in 1964, and served eleven two-year terms, representing Rock county as well as parts of Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, and Pipestone counties at various times as the district changed. During his twenty-two years in the legislature he was always on agriculture and education-related committees, along with a variety of others. He served as chair of several House committees, including Education, Higher Education, and the Education Division of Appropriations.  His efforts were key to the enactment of the first disability parking law and first rural water system in Minnesota, early use of telecommunications in schools, and the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option.  After his time in the legislature, he was elected to the Hills-Beaver Creek school board, and later served as a Rock County commissioner.     Wendell was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, then Bethlehem Lutheran Church, for decades and was active in the congregation throughout his life. He taught Sunday school for many years and served on the church council.         He was a dedicated gardener, using his knowledge of plants and soil to grow flowers, fruits, and vegetables. A fourth-generation Minnesotan, he enjoyed reading about Minnesota history and politics. He was a wealth of information about Minnesota political history.      He loved to learn about other cultures. For his long-time Sunday school class, “Your Neighbor’s Faith,” he led students in studying other faith traditions and visiting churches and temples. Over the years, he and Kathryn hosted a number of international visitors at their home in Hills. After they retired, Kathryn and Wendell traveled extensively, visiting every continent except Antarctica.      He is survived by his wife, Kathryn Erickson of Hills, his brother Charles G Erickson, Anoka, MN, five children: Margaret Erickson, Worthington, MN; Dr Kirsten Erickson (Patrick Anderson), Medicine Lake, MN; LTC Charles P Erickson (ret) (Naomi Erickson), Waconia, MN; Anna Erickson (Michael Gilman), Eden Prairie, MN; and Hans Erickson (Susan Green), Eagan MN; four grandsons and four granddaughters.     He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Kenneth Erickson and his sister Ramona Nelson.