Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Dorothy Cecil (Bruce) Erickson was born in Kansas to Fern and Cecil Bruce in 1923. The family moved to Long Beach where her father worked as a contractor. When she was young she watched her pet bulldog kill a rattlesnake. She was a good student in school, who earned straight A's. She attended Wilson High School in Long Beach. Dorothy was outgoing and liked socializing. Her family lived near a market and she frequented the market owned by the Erickson family. That is where she met Roy Erickson. The couple started dating and married in a church ceremony in 1959.

Expanding their family, Dorothy and Roy adopted two children, John and Melinda. Dorothy was a wonderful mother and you always knew that you were loved. She was very supportive of her children's interests. She and Roy enjoyed watching their children's sporting events: From baseball and football to softball and show horses.

Dorothy was a great cook and she was famous among her family for her pot roast and Christmas Fudge. She liked to eat a good steak and for years had to have her Sanka coffee. With a great love of traditional holidays, she enjoyed baking a turkey for Thanksgiving and a ham for Christmas. She loved to use the china and glassware she had collected over the years at holiday meals. The table and food were always extraordinary! Dorothy loved BIG flocked Christmas trees and decorated the flocked tree each year with her signature ornaments. By the time the last ornament was put on the top of the tree, it was close to touching the high ceiling in the living room. The family carries great memories of the colorful flocked Christmas trees. As the kids got older the cleanup became more memorable and left them smiling.

Dorothy's husband Roy had a vision of building a convalescent home for many years. Dorothy was instrumental in bringing the vision to life. Finally after many years, with the help of contractor Cy Kimball… Roy and Dorothy opened Alamitos Belmont Rehabilitation Hospital in 1968. The hospital would grow into a very special facility. Especially after a man named Alan Anderson entered their lives as hospital administrator. Dorothy and Roy mentioned many times that Alan was the "back-bone" of what they called "Al-Bel".

Dorothy was a Christian Woman. She grew up at the uptown Church of Christ on Atlantic in Long Beach which her father helped build. Later the family moved to Long Beach First Baptist. Dorothy finished her church years at a Bible Study Group held at Grace Church in Cypress. She and Roy strongly supported Youth for Christ. Dorothy met some wonderful friends at all her churches.

Dorothy loved to travel. She made trips to Europe, Israel, China, and many U.S. destinations. She would make these journeys with a variety of family and friends. She enjoyed a few freshwater cruises in inland China, on the Columbia River, and also took a river boat down the Mississippi. Throughout her travels, Dorothy collected dozens of sterling silver spoons from the places she visited; she displayed them in her kitchen. She also enjoyed the city of Palm Springs where she, Roy, and her famous bridge group often enjoyed the condominium they owned there. Melinda and Dorothy's sister Marilyn also enjoyed many weekends at this condominium.

As an avid reader, Dorothy read the big, thick Reader's Digest Books with four stories in one book and one of her favorite writers was novelist John Grisham. After she read a book, she'd give the book away or pass the books around to share with friends. With a love of music, she was an Elvis Presley fan and she liked the Tijuana Brass Band. When it came to sports, she was a fan of USC football. She even attended some USC games with Betty and Al Totten. She was a longtime bridge player in a group that she adored. Beyond her spoon collection, she also collected dolls and Lladros figurines. Dorothy had a great sense of humor and she loved to laugh. Her favorite sayings: "Whatever…" "I don't know anything…" and "They never feed me…" She loved to make people laugh. Her favorite colors were shades of pink. She loved roses, but her pride and joy was a beautiful wisteria vine that grew for many years in front of her home on Donovan Road. Dorothy also enjoyed the company of pets, as she had a cat named Rusty for 17 years, a German Shepard named Princess for 13 years. Over the last few years, she had a Blue-Crown Conure named Tarzan. The bird spoke and often asked, "What's going on?" More recently, she also had a bird named Frankie.

To her grandchildren, Dorothy was known as Gommy. She was very close to her granddaughter, Jeni, who she helped to raise. Jeni was like a daughter to her. Throughout the years, Dorothy was very generous and giving to all of her grandchildren. She took her grandchildren to see the founding states as they visited Jamestown, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. They also spent time traveling around Washington D.C. to see the sites, leaving a wonderful legacy through those weeklong trips for all six of her grandkids. She had many conversations with her children and grandchildren. She was a great person to talk to about life.

Within the last few years Dorothy has lived by her daughter Melinda in Orange, with her grand-daughter Jeni in Encino, and most recently by her son John and his family in Texas. During this time she became close with her caregiver, Mary Lytton; Mary is Sharmae's mom. In Texas Dorothy and Mary lived in a condo with a big patio that had a great view of the lake. She had dinner with her family regularly and often would say how she really enjoyed Texas (much to her surprise).

She looked forward to not suffering anymore and "not being old". In her closing hours, all of her family spent time with her or called her by phone and everyone got a chance to say good-bye. Dorothy passed away peacefully on Monday afternoon with John, Sharmae, and Mary by her side. A few hours after she passed, when Sharmae got into her car, she turned on the radio and heard the comforting song, "I'll Fly Away", by Alison Krauss. Sharmae felt that the song was an uplifting gift from the Lord.

Dorothy will best be remembered as a generous, giving, hard-working, independent, strong woman. Her family will miss her genuine smile, her laugh, her energy and wisdom. She will be laid to rest next to her husband Roy. Her advice would be to believe in Jesus, live your life, get a good education, and make her proud.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Roy, and her sister, Marilyn. She leaves behind her son John and his wife Sharmae; daughter Melinda; grandchildren Jennifer, John David, Jace, Sean, Kristina, Andy, and; her caregiver Mary, many friends, and many colleagues.

Memorial donations are welcome in Dorothy Erickson's name to Youth for Christ www.yfc.net.

A long time ago, before the start of time
God chose a special woman to be a mother of mine
Most beautiful and smart and with a Christian heart
She toiled endless hours so I could have a start
The first dozen as a boy
I hope for her was joy
But the next… not so brief
I'm sure brought her some grief
The years rolled by with Mom always in the lead
Her laugh in the air and her tears put at His feet
Now almost in my fifth with you helping me to see
Walking with our Lord, as you did, is where I want to be
So as old Chester Leroy did
You've played a major role
Your love and Christianity have really taken hold
So, in my older years to come
I pray I'll do as you have done
To show my children everyday
That this was once their Gommy's way

I Love You Mom,
John