Maria Erickson

Maria Antonia (Toni) Randall Erickson, beloved mother of Lill Erickson, Teresa Erickson and son-in-law Pat Sweeney, passed away early in the morning of November 23, 2016 at the age of 97. Toni was born January 30, 1919 in Dulce, New Mexico on the Jicarilla Apache reservation. She grew up in Telluride, Colorado and cared for her mother, as the youngest living daughter in her culture was expected to do. She married Thure Elmer Erickson on December 16, 1949. They had two daughters, Lill and Teresa and moved to Montrose, Colorado in 1959. There, they lived with Toni's two sisters, Edel and Lucy. Toni was a loving and compassionate person who cared for her sisters through debilitating rheumatoid arthritis and for her husband who suffered from the ravages of being an underground miner. Toni was a cheerful and good natured person whose favorite holidays were the Fourth of July and Halloween. Always up for a celebration, she loved parades and parties and especially fireworks. Creative and artistic, Toni won dozens of awards for her spectacular embroidery and crafts. She was active in St Mary's Catholic parish in Montrose and truly loved the community of the church. She moved to Billings in 2001 when her memory began to fade so she could be with her daughters and son-in-law. She was able to live on her own until, at age 94 she moved to St. John's nursing home. Toni had a fierce love of animals and all things innocent and in need of protection. Many a stray cat or dog hit the jackpot when they stumbled into her yard. She couldn't stand to see abuse and would step in and make it stop if she could. She loved the mountains and many a summer day was spent picking chokecherries and making chokecherry jelly. No one could make tortillas as good as hers. She was preceded in death by her husband, three sisters and two brothers. A funeral mass will be held in Montrose, Colorado at a later date with burial in Grand View Cemetery with her husband Elmer, two sisters Lucia and Ambrosia, brothers Carlos and Samuel and her father Luis. The family wishes to extend great thanks to the CNAs and nurses at Garden Court, the memory unit at St. Johns who provided her amazing love and care. Those wishing to donate in Toni's memory may do so to Northern Plains Resource Council (http://www.northernplains.org) Western Sustainability Exchange (http://www.westernsustainabilityexchange.org) or the Garden Court CNA Fund at St. John's Nursing Home.