Lon M. Erickson

Lon M. Erickson

November 28th , 2024, Age 75

Preceded in death by parents, Leonard & Lorraine Erickson.

Survived by his significant other, Deb Notebaart, daughter, Lara Erickson (Paul Falken),

son Tyler Erickson (Bessy), step-son Jason Notebaart (Stacy), step-daughter Jodi

Bergum (Eric), step-daughter Christi Lind (Dave) and grandchildren Cameron & Cole

Mitchell, Zane & Emmit Erickson, Hannah & Hailey Notebaart, Ashley, Austin, Aiden &

Alyssa Bergum and Mila Lind. Also survived by brother Larry Erickson (Bonnie), brother

Loren Erickson and nephew Lucas Erickson.

Lon grew in West St. Paul and graduated from Sibley High School in 1967. He served in

the US Army and as a National Guard reservist, graduated from Hamline Law School in

1982, worked in private practice and then for the Hennepin County Attorney’s office until

his retirement in 2015. Lon was residing in Wyoming, MN & Cape Coral, FL and was a

longtime resident of Oakdale, MN.

To know him was to be jealous of his luxuriant mane. There is a rumor that he had an

upper lip, but it hadn’t been seen in over 50 years. When not in a suit and tie, a golf shirt

or a plaid button up was basically his uniform. That is, unless you knew him in the late

1980s when he went through his Hawaiian shirt phase. His favorite of which he got by

mailing in 3 proofs of purchase from Tropicana orange juice. Yes, his taste eventually

got more expensive, but he never lost his love of getting a good deal.

Throughout his life, he had been a creator and a collector. Both seemed to be in his

nature. He collected Fiesta Ware teapots, glass insulators, Hot Wheel cars, comic

books and watches to name a few. A particular item would strike his fancy and then he

just had to have more, at least until something new caught his eye. He also tried his

hand at many a creative endeavor, such as stained glass, tying fishing lures, leather

crafting and wood carving. He even rebuilt a ’66 Mustang and constructed a wood-strip

canoe. He would immerse myself into the culture of that art, until inevitably, he would

move on to the next challenge. That is, until he discovered painting, attended the Atelier

Lack art school, and became both a creator and collector of art for the next 25 years.

Portrait painting was a true passion, and his grandkids were his muses.

Lon was a soldier, substitute science teacher, lawyer, Softball coach, marshmallow fight

champion, Scrabble formidable foe, Kool-Aid Point king, Diet Coke connoisseur, coupon

cutter extraordinaire, political pundit, Lonnie Lure maker, prankster, Legend of Zelda

player, plaid shirt model, amateur magician, almost everything collector, prepper,

obsessive list maker, wine taster, conspiracy theorist & rabbit hole spelunker, world

traveler and car enthusiast. He was a Whitney Houston admirer, Willie Nelson fan, a

Michael McDonald doppelganger and a victim of an unfortunate incident at a Tom Petty

concert, a story he liked to share. He was a sweets junky, mail-in offer maven, a movie

quote citer, (Deb, “I will find you!), an arcade aficionado, artist, bird watcher, tech nerd,

pecan pancake expert and the first person you would want to call to share a win or if

you needed an answer to anything. He was the only person I know who would put

sugar on Lucky Charms, he and was the greatest dad in the world.

Lon loved to travel. He was particularly fond of the beaches in Hilton Head & Florida,

where he was a snowbird. He also enjoyed cruises around the world with his partner in

crime, Deb. He loved museums and art fairs and treating people to a nice dinner out

and the reactions of children when he gave out king-sized candy bars on Halloween. He

was just a big kid, who loved learning, and goofing around and living life. Most of all, he

loved his family. He loved all of the fun adventures with Deb and cheering on and

spoiling his grandchildren. You likely never heard him say it, as he was never really one

for the mushy stuff, but if he gave you a side hug with a couple of fake jabs to the gut,

that was his way of letting you know he loved you. Likewise, he was loved very much by

his family who will miss him dearly. And yes Dad, your cruise photo did become your

obituary photo. We know you would have gotten a chuckle out of that.