Patricia (Pat) Margaret Anne Erickson (Maiden name Kellins) 1941-2019
Born September 18th, 1941 in Hamilton Ontario Canada to Kenneth M.L. Kellins and Florence Rose DuFour (later renamed Florence Stoutenburg). Our dear mom/mother in-law moved out west to Vancouver BC with her family when she was only 1 year old, growing up in various places in the lower mainland and Squamish area. At 18 years of age, after a short courtship in Squamish, she married our dad/father in-law Norman George Erickson (a Logger at the time) on August 6th, 1960 at St. Michaels Church in Vancouver BC. On May 1st, 1964 she gave birth to her only son Neil Patrick Erickson. Our mom/mother in-law had a very difficult and hard life, but through it all she was an amazingly sweet woman and dedicated supportive mother and wife. She was also an incredibly hard worker helping to support her family via a series of waitressing and similar jobs. On August 28th, 2015 she became a widow when her husband and our dad/father in-law passed away from lung cancer, in Maple Ridge BC, after many years of declining health. Although supported by her friends and neighbors at the Pioneer Village Co-Op in Maple Ridge, she missed her family and in May 2016 moved up north to Telkwa BC (a village just east of Smithers) to live in a basement suite of the rural acreage home of her son and daughter in-law. While living with her son and daughter in-law in Telkwa she joined the Smithers United Church and started making some amazing friends. After 2 and a half years in her basement suite, with developing self-confidence she found and moved out into an apartment of her own in Smithers to regain her independence in January 2019. With her new found independence and building self-confidence her life finally began to really flourish, socializing with friends, walking to church, walking to errands downtown and even starting to join social functions at the local seniors centre. With great sadness, her life was unfortunately cut short just as it was flourishing. On May 23rd 2019 she was severely injured being hit by a left turning truck while walking across a crosswalk at Hwy 16 and Main Street in Smithers BC. She received immediate and amazing care by the doctor in traffic at the scene, the firemen and paramedics on scene, the doctors and medical staff in the emergency dept at the Bulkley Valley Regional Hospital in Smithers, the paramedics in the air ambulance who immediately transported her to VGH in Vancouver and finally the amazing doctors, nurses and medical support teams in both the ICU and the Trauma centre at VGH in Vancouver. We could never say enough to thank these incredible people and the heartfelt way in which they cared for our mom/mother in-law and did everything possible to give her the best chance of recovery. Unfortunately though, after a valiant battle which often surprised her doctors our mom/mother in-law rapidly deteriorated and passed away at the age of 77 Friday night July 5th 2019. She is survived by her son, Neil Patrick Erickson and her daughter in-law Patricia Erickson both of Telkwa BC. A memorial service will be held at the Smithers United Church, 3889 8th Avenue (8th & Queen) in Smithers BC at 2:00pm Saturday July 27th 2019.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Patricia Margaret Anne Erickson September 18 1941 July 5 2019 (age 77)..
Death notice for the town of: Smithers, Province: Colombie britanique