Page created by: Erickson Family

Sharon Jean (Lakies) Erickson passed away peacefully on May 26, 2022, after years of weathering the challenges of Parkinson’s Disease. Sharon was born on March 6, 1941 to Evart Theodore and Elizabeth Irene (Mitchell) Lakies. When Sharon was a toddler, the family moved to Elizabeth’s family farm in Tustin, Michigan. Growing up, Sharon tended the chickens, pigs, cows, corn fields, and cucumber patch. She also found plenty of time to swim at nearby Center Lake with her cousins, who were like siblings to her.

Sharon attended Tustin High School, and graduated salutatorian of her class. She and her beau, John Erickson, were the “it” couple of Tustin High, voted senior prom queen and king. After graduation, Sharon attended Central Michigan University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish. Sharon left Michigan for the first time to spend a semester of her senior year in Guadalajara, Mexico and returned brimming with stories. Her education, experience, and love of the Spanish language (rather than say goodbye, she often parted with a cheerful “Adios!”) led to jobs teaching Spanish first in Garden City and later in Rapid River, Michigan.

Sharon and John (1941-1994) married on August 18, 1962 and shortly thereafter set roots in Escanaba, Michigan. They had four sons, and Sharon learned to find quiet amid chaos. She once remarked that she could not have a single meal with her boys without hearing about a “bodily function” and wiping up a spilled glass of water. Still, she found time to connect with friends through her bridge club and as a member of the Escanaba Women’s Society. Sharon also played and taught piano, and was a cribbage master who delighted in leaving her opponents in “the stinkhole,” the last hole on a cribbage board. Her connection to nature led her to earn a Master Gardener certificate and join a garden club, and she enjoyed nurturing all things green. Houseplants always thrived in Sharon’s presence. She grew abundant vegetables in the blue ribbon community garden she tended with John and later in her own backyard.
Sharon, John, and their boys often returned to the Tustin farmhouse of her youth to enjoy the quiet and reconnect. Every Thanksgiving throughout her childhood and beyond, the farmhouse filled with energy as extended family came to celebrate with a fabulous uncoordinated potluck. Sharon ensured that this tradition, originating in the 1930’s, continued throughout her life, securing the township hall (across the field from the farmhouse) for gatherers as families grew.

Sharon treasured her memories of traveling with family: vacationing in Europe, California, Montana, and Jekyll Island. She enjoyed taking road trips to visit friends and relatives, find the best blueberry patches, hear the Dalai Lama speak, or see a musical (favorites were Jersey Boys and Phantom of the Opera). When each grandchild was born, she was there to help out and rack up all the baby snuggles she could, staying as long as six months at a time. Nothing could make Sharon smile like the laughter and silly antics of her grandchildren.

Sharon had a warm presence. When she laughed, she really laughed and none around her could resist joining in. Her family overwhelmingly knew that Sharon genuinely cared, and would celebrate their accomplishments as well as support them during the hard times. Sharon felt a special connection to the spiritual world. She practiced Reiki, yoga, and meditation and joined in drum circles. Sharon believed that we all hold healing powers.

Yet, Sharon accepted that she would not be cured of Parkinson's Disease. Sharon knew that she would eventually need help with physical tasks, and that Parkinson's would be a lot of "fuss and bother." But neither she nor her family was, or could have been, prepared for the mental and psychological impact of this disease. This is where Sharon got the worst of it. While her physical symptoms were still manageable, Sharon became fraught with delusions, agonizing that her family was in danger and nobody would help them. Available medications gave her some relief, but could only slow, not stop, the progression of this unpredictable and terrifying disease.

Parkinson's disease took a sweet lady from us, and left a huge gaping hole. Let's fill that space with positivity and support research dedicated to developing better treatments and finding a cure.