Barbara Erickson

NAPA - It is with extreme gratitude for her life that the children and grandchildren of Barbara H. Erickson announce her passing on Sept. 18, 2008, in Napa. She was 79.

Barbara Helen Erickson was born Aug. 19, 1929, in San Francisco, to C. Hood and Rachel (Rickards) Jones. She attended Oakland schools until the age of 16, when her father moved the family to Fresno where she graduated Theodore Roosevelt High.

In her twenties, Barbara held many different jobs but perhaps her favorite was working the reservations desk at North American Aviation in Fresno. It sparked her lifelong love of travel; whether by land, sea or air, Barbara was up for any adventure. Her last were back-to-back cruises this past spring exploring the Mediterranean and Adriatic in the company of family.

Barbara married Earl W. “Swede” Erickson on June 29, 1957, in Fresno. The Ericksons moved to Napa in January 1965 and, together with Barbara’s father, built the family’s hilltop home. Barbara nailed, roofed, wired, plumbed and painted the house before turning her attention to the landscaping; she laid every patio, walkway and planter with brick she salvaged from Napa’s 1960s “urban renewal.”

At 40, Barbara returned to school at the then Napa Community College, earning her degree as a registered nurse in 1973. She briefly worked at the California Veterans Home in Yountville and then spent 17 years with Kaiser Permanente. While working she enrolled in Sonoma State University, earning her bachelor of science degree in nursing in 1980.

Barbara loved learning; her nursing license was current at her death. She also enjoyed fostering the education of her grandchildren, including that of her eldest grandchild, Jared Redmond, an accomplished concert pianist and classical composer now pursuing graduate work at Cornell University.

Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, parents, two older brothers and a nephew.

She is survived by daughter Leslie Erickson and her son Evan, daughter and son-in-law Stacy and Will Redmond and their children, Jared, Shay and Spencer, and by son Erik W. Erickson, all of Napa. Nieces Lorene Dunaway of Eureka and Anne Shults of South Carolina, and nephew Rory Dunaway of Vacaville also survive, as do numerous nieces and nephews of her late husband, including Sandi Erickson of Walnut Creek. Dear friends Joan Brigham of Lake Berryessa and Sandy (Ken) Dufford of Santa Rosa also survive.

At Barbara’s request, there will be no funeral.

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