Walter Erickson

“61, longtime resident of Arvada passed away quietly at home on April 18th, 2012 after a brief and courageous five month battle with cancer. Dean was born July 23, 1950 in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. His family moved to Walla Walla, Washington in 1951 and eventually settled in Denver in 1957. Dean attended school at Mile High Academy and South High. Employment during his teen years was doing deliveries for Denver Stationary and parking fine cars at the Brown Palace Hotel. At age 17 he began taking flying lessons at the Longmont Airport which he loved. Unfortunately, he was never able to become licensed at that time due to his citizenship. He went on to work for Rockmont Envelope Company operating a printing press. Here is where life-long friendships were formed. During this employment he attended Denver Automotive College. This training would further launch him on his life of mechanics, car restoration, and further deepened his love of racing and fine cars. Over the next 40+ years he worked at Trailer Service Inc.as mechanic and foreman, General Cable as a welder, Fruehauf Trailer Corp. as a mechanic and service supervisor, RTD as a body mechanic, TranService as a general trailer mechanic, and briefly at Timeless Travel Trailers. This was probably his most favorite job restoring and customizing Airstream travel trailers. He met the love of his life, Pat, while working at Trailer Service Inc. Following a six month courtship, they were married in 1975. During the next 10 years, Dean would help build and race off-road VWs across Colorado with good friends he had met at Rockmont Envelope Company, He also enjoyed attending races at CDR and Englewood prior to the tracks closing, as well as at Lakeside, Erie and Bandimere, He and Pat would take yearly road trips and spent countless time and miles skiing, backpacking, camping and fishing with close friends. In 1985 and 1989, their family welcomed their two children Kate and Jared. Most notably, he is well-known among his friends and acquaintance for spending endless hours after work and on weekends in his own shop at his home restoring and painting cars, motorcycles, numerous race car bodies and fabrication projects. He had a gift at body restoration and paint and turned out amazing, show quality work. He took great pride in everything he did, though he was always humble about his abilities. Many of the car restoration projects became a family affair with his wife and children helping. Most times close friend Tom helped with the hours of sanding and was always present when the time came to shoot the paint. In the mid-80