Eugene (Gene) Erickson

Erickson, Eugene (Gene) After almost 50 years in an unmarked grave in a foreign land and 15 years of painstaking work to identify his remains, Eugene (Gene) Leroy Erickson is finally being laid to rest in the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Born on April 8, 1930 in Brainerd, MN, to Erick and Myrtle Erickson, and the younger brother of Clayton Erickson and Arlene Peterson, Gene joined the Army in 1950. Private Erickson was a light weapons infantryman who was captured by the Koreans in May 1951. He died of malnutrition 3 months later and was buried by his Army friends who were also POWs. One of them, Sgt. Herbert Floyd, was freed in 1953 and personally told Erick and Myrtle of their son's death when he returned home to Brainerd. We regret that Gene's parents, sister, his beloved aunt Ardeth, uncles Ivan and Al Finseth, and cousin Robert Johnson, Jr., did not live long enough to witness this special homecoming. Gene is survived by his brother, Clayton, of Albuquerque; nieces, Sandra Erickson and Deborah Wiesner (Curt) of Madison, WI and Garnett, KS, respectively; his nephew, Bruce Erickson of Colorado Springs; and cousins, Priscilla "Paj" Falkowski (Tom) and Richard (Susan) Johnson, both of Minnesota. The family is grateful for the Army's steadfast determination in identifying his remains and bringing closure to our dream that they would be returned to US soil. A Memorial Service for Gene will be held on May 13, 2015, at 11:00 a.m., at FRENCH - University (Rev. Quinones officiating) in Albuquerque, followed by burial with military honors in Santa Fe National Cemetery at 1:30 p.m. Please visit our online guestbook for Eugene at FRENCH - University 1111 University Blvd NE (505) 843-6333