Stanley P. Erickson

Stanley Erickson, 92 of Kearney passed away Saturday, May 22, 2021 at St. John’s Good Samaritan Home in Kearney. Memorial services will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday, May 27, 2021 at O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney with the Rev. Dr. Rick Carlson officiating. Interment will be held at Prairie Home Cemetery in Holdrege at a later date. Memorials are suggested to the Holdrege Salvation Army or to the Donor’s Choice. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. Services are entrusted to O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Services. Stan was born April 3, 1929 to Philip and Fern (Miller) Erickson on the farm north of Holdrege. He graduated from Holdrege High School in 1946 and continued farming with his Dad until 1951 when he entered into the U.S. Airforce on January 5, 1951 until his honorable discharge in November of 1953 at which time he attained the rank of Staff Sergeant and remained in the USAF reserves for 5 years. Stan was stationed at Shaw Field, Sumter, SC, then transferred to Hill AFB in Ogden, UT, then to George AFB in Victorville, CA where he stayed until his discharge. He received the Good Conduct Medal and the American Defense Service Medal. On July 2, 1951, he was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, Janet Hultquist at Bethel Lutheran Church in Holdrege. To this union three children were born, Ronald, Lynn and Lori. Stan was baptized and a confirmed member of Bethel Lutheran Church in Holdrege. Stan enjoyed volunteering his services moving snow and ushering at Bethel in his younger years. He was a member of the American Legion Post for 54 years; and a life member of the DAV. He served on the Farmers Home Administration Board for over 20 years. Stan was a substitute mail carrier for 20 years for the Holdrege Postal Service and served on the zoning board for the Holdrege Airport for several years. He also worked at Northrup King Company (Clark Benson) selling seed corn. Stan enjoyed hunting and fishing and after his retirement in 1982 from a lifetime of farming, he also acquired a new, but old dream – Flying. Stan received his Private pilot’s license in 1980 and enjoyed flying their Cessna Skylane with his wife, Janet. They flew to many states and have had lots of interesting experiences and meeting new friends. Much of the flying was to Reno, NV where their son, Ron and his wife Jane and twin grandsons, Neal and Donald lived. They also enjoyed traveling to Jamaica and Hawaii and winters in California, Coronado and Ontario, where Janet’s sister lived. He was so grateful he could make it to West Point Army Academy, twice, first time when the twin grandsons, Neal and Donald started their first year in 1998; and the second time to see them both graduate from West Point in 2002. Stan and his wife were members of the Nebraska Civil Air Patrol for 14 years as a Senior Mission Pilots, doing search and rescue missions and aerial photography and narcotics department with the McCook Unit, a great group of people. Those were great learning years, and many flying hours were spent covering most areas of Nebraska. One of their most memorable flights was to have Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity, and his wife as passengers. They flew to Norfolk to pick them up and back to Kearney for the dedication of a new Habitat home; then the next day they flew them to York for another dedication. They had the biggest suitcase they had ever seen and didn’t think it would fit in the airplane but somehow it did. Even a “little” prayer for “big” things sure helps. Stan and Jan were also member of the Nebraska Flying Farmers for many years and enjoyed meeting many new friends. Stan worked at the Holdrege Airport, Brewster Field for 20 years, mowing, moving snow and doing whatever else was needed, and it was a job he loved. He stayed until 2012 when they moved to Kearney and drove back to keep on for several more years. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Janet of Kearney; children, Ronald (Jane) Erickson of Rapid City, SD, Lynn (Charles) Brewster of Kearney and Lori Erickson and her friend, Nadine Tillimans of Holdrege; brother, Harold (Judy) Erickson of Arizona; sisters, LaDell Callahan of Gilbert, AZ and Marilyn Carlson of Holdrege; five grandchildren, Lt. Col. Neal (Bryna) Erickson of Burke, VA, Lt. Col. Donald (Kristine) Erickson of Lansing, KS, John (Mindy) Brewster of Denver, CO, Aaron (Amy) Brewster of Kearney, Meggan (Jerry) Clark of Kearney; six great grandchildren, Mathias and Conner Erickson, Kyler and Caden Erickson and Emma and Owen Clark; as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family and friends. Stan was loved dearly by his family and they were his pride and joy. He was so proud of them all! Stan was preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Neil and Emma Hultquist; brother-in-law, Stan Carlson; sister-in-law, Dorothy Nelson and his nephew, Gregg Carlson.

Stanley P. Erickson

April 3, 1929 - May 22, 2021