Phyllis Erickson

Phyllis Erickson, 84, died on March 5, 2022 in Madrid, Iowa. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 16, at First Church of the Open Bible, 2200 Beaver Ave, Des Moines where Phyllis was a devoted member. Burial will be at Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery.

Phyllis was born on August 8, 1937, in Savanna, Illinois, the only daughter of Fred and Charlotte (Bearsley) Cook, while her parents were there visiting relatives. She lived in Des Moines most of her life, graduating from Des Moines Technical High School in 1955 where she met the love of her life, Ernest (Ernie) Erickson. The two were married May 1956 at Trinity Lutheran Church. They had four children – Terri, Ricky, Randy and Tammy.

Phyllis kept very active with her children's activities including school, sports, fine arts, scouting and church. She and her husband both participated in go-cart racing for several years. They were also members of a CB radio club, Phyllis' handle was Kilowatt Lady. One of Phyllis and Ernie’s favorite hobbies was square dancing. This was a hobby that allowed them to travel, meet new friends and hone in on another hobby – sewing, as they made all of their outfits. Phyllis was active in church, teaching Sunday School and participating in Wednesday Evening activities when they began attending First Church of the Open Bible. One of Phyllis’s favorite things to do was singing in the Annual Christmas Tree Choir – even though she says that singing wasn’t one of her favorite things, we think she was there for the social aspect. Their main family vacation was to a small resort in Nevis, MN called Timberlost where they spent many summers camping and fishing. As the kids got older and moved out on their own, Phyllis and Ernie began traveling more with their children, friends and on their own.

In January 1994, Ernie unexpectantly gained his wings at a young age. Phyllis kept busy with plenty of activities. As a grandmother, she continued attending her grandchildren activities all over the state of Iowa and beyond. Phyllis was never home, thank goodness for cell phones, if she could figure out how to answer, you might be lucky enough to catch her! She continued to travel with family and friends which included vacations to Branson, the west coast, cruises and her favorite place, Disney World. Phyllis’s goal was to make it to every state in the US, she was one shy, only missing out on visiting Maine. Phyllis’s adventures also took her abroad to Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Grand Cayman.

Phyllis decided a change was in store and retired from Blue Cross Blue Shield. She soon became bored with staying home and added some seasonal jobs - working at several different fairs, Adventureland, H&R Block and See's Candies. She would frequently rope her children into “helping” her and these jobs. It wasn't until about five years ago that she began 'slowing' down and not working as much, but still enjoying her grandchildren events.

In the fall of 2019, Phyllis’s health began to deteriorate, and she moved in with Tammy, Travis and their family early in 2020 and they provided fulltime care to Phyllis. It was in that time that Alzheimer’s and Glaucoma began to greatly impact her life. During those two years, we continued to keep those important activities a priority in moms’ life as long as possible. On March 5, Phyllis won her battle with dementia, joining dad and her friends and loved ones in Heaven.

Phyllis is survived by her daughters, Terri (Bob) Russell of Earlham, IA and Tammy (Travis) Jacobs of Madrid, IA; sons, Rick (Betty) Erickson of Adel, IA and Randy (Abbi) Erickson of Luther, IA; brother, George (Mary)Cook of Des Moines, IA; numerous grandchildren Justin & Kim Russell, Jamee & Ryan King, Mary & Lewis Capps, Cylias Russell & Erika Bolek, Xavier, Journee and Jazlynn Russell, Ethan & Jaclyn Erickson, Marissa & Gary Stickfort, Trent Erickson, Levi Erickson & Jamiee Kinser, Quentin & Janae Erickson, Tori and Alex Jacobs and great-grandchildren, Hattie and Sawyer Russell, Asher King, Owen Erickson, Carson and Cameron Stickfort, Emerson and Alysyn Kinser, Grey Erickson and three more that will be joining our family in the next few months. Phyllis was preceded in death by her loving husband, Ernest Erickson and her parents, Fred and Charlotte (Beardsley) Cook, brother, Gordon Cook and great grandson Atticus Russell..

The family will visit with friends from 5 to 8 pm, Tuesday at the church.

Memorial contributions may be directed to First Church of the Open Bible, in loving memory of Phyllis.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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