Audrey Marie Erickson

Audrey Marie Erickson July 7, 1926 – April 20, 2025.

Audrey Marie Erickson, a devoted mother, gifted artist, and World War II cryptanalyst, passed away peacefully on April 20, 2025, at the age of 98.

Born on July 7, 1926, in Hampton, Iowa, Audrey was the second of four daughters to Charles Wheelock Wilson and Hazel Harsch Wilson. Raised in Marshalltown, Iowa, in a home rich with love, discipline, and an abiding passion for gardening, Audrey grew up during the Great Depression, developing an early sense of responsibility and resilience through babysitting and working in the cornfields during long summer days.

Her early talent for art was evident even as a young girl, when she was commissioned to draw a rendering of the Lenox Corporation’s headquarters—a project that coincided with her father’s landscaping work at the same site. That artistic gift would remain a central thread throughout her life.

After graduating from Marshalltown High School in May 1944, Audrey's life took an extraordinary turn. At just 18, during a trip with her parents to Iowa State University, she was recruited by the War Department to join the Army Security Agency. Courageously, she boarded a train alone and moved to Washington, D.C., where she became one of the “Code Girls” at Arlington Hall, working in secret to decipher enemy communications during World War II. She remained in service for seven years, helping shape the course of history from behind the scenes.

In the evenings, she nurtured her love of art by taking classes at the Corcoran School of Art, later the Corcoran College of Art + Design. She would be well trained to pursue art professionally after the war.

In 1951, Audrey married Major Thorsten “Eric” A. Erickson at the historic Fort Myer Chapel in Arlington, Virginia. As Eric served his country across the globe, Audrey anchored their growing family with strength and grace, raising three children with love and independence. When Eric retired from the Army and joined IBM, the family continued their cross-country journey before ultimately settling in Sun City Center, Florida.

Encouraged by her husband, Audrey returned to painting with passion. Her works—landscapes, still lives, and, most notably, portraits—won numerous awards and the admiration of many. After Eric’s passing in 1993, Audrey continued to paint and remained an active and cherished member of the Sun City Center Art Club.

Audrey’s life was marked by courage, creativity, and compassion. She was a devoted wife, a fiercely independent woman, a loving mother, and a brilliant artist whose legacy lives on in the beauty she created and the family she nurtured.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Thorsten “Eric” Erickson, her parents, and her sisters Dorothy Wilson and Bess Fulster. She is survived by her sister Carol Calabrese; her children Bruce A. Erickson (Mitzi), Patricia Erickson Grinnalds (Jack), and Neil W. Erickson (Cindy); seven grandchildren: Elizabeth Grinnalds Thorne (Bryan), Eric Grinnalds (Michelle), Jessica Erickson Wells (Justin), Amanda Erickson Mabry (Ian), Jorgen W. Erickson, Victor Erickson, and Katrina Erickson; and eight great-grandchildren: Rachel Thorne, William Thorne, Brooklyn Grinnalds, Felix Grinnalds, Alyssa Wells, Eddie Wells, Quinn Mabry, and Luna Mabry.

Audrey’s artful spirit will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who knew and loved her.