Obituary
Roger Steven Erickson

Roger Steven Erickson was born on June 18, 1945, in Montclair, New Jersey, to Roy and Edna Erickson. When Roger was just two years old, the family followed relatives across the country in search of new opportunities, settling in Inglewood, California. There, they welcomed his sister, Karen. Roy worked as a carpenter for the Los Angeles County school system, while Edna devoted herself to caring for their home while also working for McCulloch Corp. and the Los Angeles schools. The family lived a modest yet full life, surrounded by friends and extended family who had also made the journey west.

From an early age, Roger showed a fascination with transportation and speed. It began with a paper route and grew into interests in model railroading, cycling, and karting. As a young man, he frequently set out with friends on 100-mile “century” bike rides, returning home late at night. In his early twenties, Roger realized that the degree he was pursuing did not align with his passion for machines. He changed course and enrolled in aviation school, becoming an aircraft mechanic—a profession that would become not only his career, but also his passion and identity well into his seventies.

Through a friend, Roger met Cheryl Crawford. After their first date, Roger rode his motorcycle off a cliff during a day out with his buddies. Much of their early courtship involved Cheryl nursing him back to health, and they were married in 1972. They welcomed daughters Karen and Laura while living in Long Beach, California, before relocating to Northern California. Roger built a long career working for American Airlines, Pacific Southwest Airlines (“the planes with a smile”), and later US Airways. Eventually, the family moved to Concord, North Carolina, where Roger retired from the airlines at the age of 70.

Roger was passionately dedicated to his work as a mechanic and electrician, with a work ethic that was truly unmatched. He never missed a day of work unless physically unable to do so, often working thousands of hours of overtime to support his family and ensure his daughters graduated college debt-free. He was always ready with a story about a work-related challenge he had solved—or a detailed lecture on how a plane part or system worked (or a car, train, or nearly any mechanical object, for that matter).

Though many hobbies were set aside while raising his family, Roger’s need for speed never faded. Later in life, he rekindled his love of model trains, joining a train club and spending countless hours building intricate landscapes. When that wasn’t enough excitement, he purchased a B-stock kart, suited up in full racing gear, and competed for several years on the amateur circuit—delighting himself and terrifying his wife and children as he flew around the track at over 100 miles per hour. When small-scale trains felt too limiting, he moved on to larger-scale trains, working with friends to lay tracks and run them purely for the joy of it. Likely longing for the carefree cycling days of sunny California, Roger also assembled an impressive collection of vintage European racing bicycles and parts, delighting in sharing stories and details with family and fellow cycling enthusiasts. His meticulous care of everything he owned was second to none.
In addition to being a devoted provider and master craftsman, Roger was an avid world traveler. The same attention to detail he brought to his work and hobbies extended to planning trips for his wife and children. He took great care in crafting meaningful travel experiences and fully immersed himself in the cultures and places he visited. He especially enjoyed visiting his daughter, Laura, and her husband Rob at their homes in Sonoma, California, and La Vilella Baixa, Spain, all the while enjoying the wines they produced from their winery, Schermeister Winery.

Roger is remembered as a strong, independent, dedicated, and deeply caring father—and as a first-rate dad-joke punster. Few conversations passed without a cleverly dropped joke or bit of wordplay. He loved doing crossword puzzles and word jumbles, finding great pleasure in mental challenges, and he delighted in sharing stories of his work, travels, youthful escapades, and observations about life.

Roger was immensely proud of his daughters, Karen and Laura, as well as his grandsons, Jackson and Conner.

Roger is survived by his wife of 54 years, Cheryl Crawford Erickson, daughters Karen (Jeff) Hatley, Laura (Rob) Schermeister, grandsons Jackson and Conner Thomas, sister Karen (Alvin) Alexander, niece Dana (Matt Jones) Alexander, nephew Larry Alexander, and many other family, friends, and colleagues.