Eskel Edward Erickson

Eskel Edward Erickson, 89, a long-time resident of Olympia, Washington, passed away June 28, 2017 at the age of 89 at the VA Care Center in Port Orchard, Washington. Eskel was born May 20, 1928 to Sanna Karolina Nylund and Erik Vilhelm Bäck of Finland. He attended and graduated from Olympia High School. A few years later, he joined the U.S. Army and served during the Korean War; he was honorably discharged as a Sargent First Class. Eskel married Shirley Jean Jones on August 5, 1967 in Post Falls, Idaho. She was the love of his life and they were married for 37 years. Eskel had been a bachelor for 38 years and, when he married Shirley, he also became a step-father to three children she had from a previous marriage. Eskel worked in various positions in lumber yards and, at one of those positions, he suffered from a terrible accident in which he lost four fingers on his left hand, his dominant hand. He was always self-conscious of this, but it did not stop him from working hard and providing for his family. A story is told that those who worked with Eskel at Solid Wood, Inc. in Olympia were anxious when Eskel would be their Supervisor for the day because he was very focused and hard-working, and expected just as much from them. Eskel liked watching the news and reading the newspaper on a daily basis, and he enjoyed following and predicting the weather. He especially enjoyed being involved with family events, such as holiday get-togethers and family reunions. Eskel had a very dry sense of humor and several people compared him to the comedian, Bob Newhart. He liked music and would start dancing spontaneously to a good song on the radio. He was always positive and was pleasant to be around. He was a very quiet man and he was very humble. He never wanted you to make a fuss over him. Eskel was the epitome of a Good Samaritan. If someone was in need, stranger or not, he would offer help in any way possible. He was the best neighbor you could ever ask for. There was one neighbor in particular who struggled with life, a lot, after her husband passed away. Eskel felt badly for her and would mow her lawn, take out the garbage, take her to the drug store to pick up her prescriptions, and even take her to her doctor appointments (which would sometimes take a couple of hours). As a step-father, Eskel would take the kids to school and church activities and attend concerts and performances that Ed and Kathy were involved in. Even if the church dance/activity was in Tacoma or Centralia, he would volunteer to take the kids and wait there to make sure they had a ride home and were safe. The most telling quality Eskel had was when Shirley’s health declined. He was so helpful and kind and patient, attending to her every need. In December 2014, as Eskel was putting up Christmas decorations, he climbed up onto a stepstool and lost his balance, falling onto the stool and sending him to the hospital. While there, they diagnosed him with having the beginnings of dementia. Because of this, it was determined that he would never be able to live at home because Shirley was dealing with her own health problems and would not physically be able to take care of him, which was hard for Shirley to comprehend. A month later, unexpectedly, Shirley passed away and it devastated Eskel and the entire family. Arrangements were made for him to reside at the Retsil VA Care Center in Port Orchard, Washington and where he has lived since 2005. There have been many physicians and staff who have said that Eskel was always polite, funny, one of best patients ever, and will be sorely missed. As his physical functions decreased and it became increasingly difficult for him to remember people and to communicate, he was still amazingly pleasant. Eskel is survived by his stepchildren, Patricia McCall (Jerry) of Puyallup, Washington, Kathy Fellows (Brian) of Murray, Utah, and Edward Dalton (Christine) of Spanaway, Washington; 12 grandchildren; and 16 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Ruby Erickson; and his two nephews, Steve Erickson (Barbara) and Chris Erickson (Diana). He was preceded in death by his parents; his lovely wife, Shirley Erickson; and his brother, Erik Erickson. Eskel was the type of person who everyone should strive to be like. He was a great example to his family and he is deeply loved and will be missed immensely. He will be forever in our hearts. Please leave memories of Eskel or condolences for his family in the Guestbook below.