Anderson Funeral Home
Homeserving families for over 70 years
312 South Stone St.
Augusta, WI 54722
715-286-2222
Leroy Erickson
Leroy (Lee) Edward Erickson, 50, of Eau Claire, slipped into eternal rest on the evening of Friday, July 24, 2020, back in his home with his son, Connor, and his ex-wife and friend, Debbie, at his side. Lee had struggled for many years with the progressive effects of a rare genetic form of mitochondrial neuropathy. Prior to this, his last four years had been spent in long-term care at Augusta Health and Rehabilitation. Although the disease impacted him in monumental ways, Lee is remembered by his friends and family for his strength, optimism, and lack of bitterness for his path in life.
Lee was raised in rural Fall Creek and attended high school in Augusta. He attended CVTC with a degree in marketing. Once married to Debbie, they moved to the Madison area where Lee worked for years and later back in the Eau Claire area with his father-in-law in the retail/wholesale business.
The joy of Lee’s life, as friends and family would attest to, was his son Connor. Joyous photos of Lee as a father when Connor was young depicted him on the floor building mounds of pillow mountains to crawl over, digging in the sand and playing in water, and pushing those cars, trains, and trucks in hours of play. As the disease took a more rapid hold over him, Lee always found a way to adapt his rituals of fatherhood. Connor was blessed to have the imprint of a father growing up who has modeled the courage, strength, and grace that Lee had through a horrifically painful disease. The lessons he taught his son were more powerful than the day to day active role he wished he could have carried out.
Friends and family will remember his humor, hard work, and kind heart. He was full of stories, pranks, and bad singing to be remembered and recounted. The children of friends and nieces and nephews of family adored Lee, who had a playful nature that they were drawn to.
Lee is survived by his son Connor Erickson of Eau Claire, his friend and ex-wife Debbie Erickson of Eau Claire, his mother Marlene of rural Fall Creek; great grandmother, Mildred Legge of Eau Claire, siblings, Lori (Mike) McCune of Osseo, Cheri (Joe) Shaffer of Fairchild, Chrissy Erickson of Augusta, Lynn (Jeff) Jaenke of Fall Creek; and the family of in-laws that continued to be a part of his life.
A private graveside service will he held on Thursday, July 30.While his son, Connor, would have loved to have heard the recollections of his dad, we want to respect the safety of family members during this time.
Online condolences can be left at www.andersonfhaugusta.com
