Thomas “Tom” Lee Erickson

Tom was born August 11, 1976, in Eugene, Oregon, the son of Richard and Kathy (Howell) Erickson. He spent his childhood in the Eugene area and was known to many as their local paperboy. Tom was an exceptional athlete as a child and enjoyed playing every sport. He was a great teammate and an even better friend, maintaining many friendships that spanned more than 40 years. Tom graduated from Sheldon High School with the class of 1994.

After high school, Tom attended Western Oregon University and majored in business. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1998. After earning his degree, he began working for Kmart and worked his way up to a project manager position. That role required more traveling and led him to move to Troy, Michigan, which by fate led him to meet his soulmate, Cherlynn Dowd.

Wanting to be closer to Cherlynn, Tom moved to Houghton and took a position at Shopko then with Alltel (Verizon). Tom and Cherlynn were married on August 2, 2003, in Houghton, Michigan, and made their first home there while Cherlynn finished nursing school. In 2005, they moved to Ishpeming and started their family. Tom began working for Riverside Auto Mall as a business manager. He later served as business manager at Frei Chevrolet, where he spent much of his career, and most recently worked at Fox Subaru in Marquette.

Eventually he left the corporate world and shifted his focus to his family. He spent time with his children, volunteered at countless events, and focused more on coaching. Tom volunteered tirelessly across the community: he coached baseball, served on the Ishpeming Little League board, substitute taught, and was vice president of the Aspen Ridge PTO. He chaperoned at Clear Lake, where he made many connections with students and other volunteers. He supported school trips and was a constant presence at concession stands and community events. He supported wrestling, cross country, baseball, football, and too many other programs to name. He taught Sunday school and was a member of the Apostolic Lutheran Church in Ishpeming. Whenever a team or event needed help, Tom was there.

Tom will be remembered as fun-loving, kind-hearted, and everyone’s biggest cheerleader. He never missed one of his children’s events; his sons meant the world to him. He was an avid Oregon Ducks fan who took several trips to see them play. He enjoyed the outdoors hiking and camping and was the family grill master. His cheerful singing as he cooked the family breakfast will be missed.

Tom’s presence touched so many; his passing will leave a void in our community and schools that will be hard to mend.

Tom is survived by his wife of 22 years, Cherlynn; his four sons, Aidan Lee, Nels Robert, Seth Thomas, and Henry Karr; his mother, Kathy Erickson; a brother, Matt (Stef) Erickson; a sister, Autumn (Casey) Brown; brothers-in-law Dan (Samantha) Dowd, James (Rhea) Dowd, and Timo (Tariq Alfanek) Ovist; sisters-in-law Debra Dowd and Angel Ovist; father-in-law Tim Ovist; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, Richard; his parents-in-law, Deb Ovist and Mike Dowd; and a brother-in-law, Adam Spies.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Westwood High School Booster Club 300 S. Westwood Drive, Ishpeming, MI 49849 or Ishpeming Little League Baseball 1040 Wabash Street, Ishpeming, MI 49849.

A funeral service will be held at the Apostolic Lutheran Church in Ishpeming on Friday, November 28, 2025, with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m. until the time of service at 12:30 p.m. Al Anderson will be officiating. Burial will take place at the Ishpeming Cemetery on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. Tom’s four sons will serve as pallbearers.

A full obituary may also be viewed at bjorkandzhulkie.com, where relatives and friends are invited to leave notes of remembrance.