Suzanne J. Erickson, 76, a former Baker City resident, died Dec. 26, 2006, at her home in Tustin, Mich.
A memorial service to honor her life will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 1, at the First Baptist Church in Tustin with Pastor Sean Nemecek officiating. Burial will be in the Burdell Township Cemetery in Tustin.
She was born in Lansing, Mich., to Elvera and Victor Marquardt on March 6, 1930. She graduated from Cadillac High School in 1948 and then went on to receive education and training at the Mercy Central School of Nursing in Grand Rapids, receiving her RN license in 1952.
That same year she began working in surgery at Mercy Hospital in Cadillac, Mich. On Nov. 26, 1952, Suzanne married Dennis W. Erickson in Canyon City, Ore.
Suzanne took pride in her nursing profession and enjoyed the rewards of helping people attain comfort and quality of life throughout her long career. She practiced nursing at John Day Hospital and Day Clinic in John Day. Later in 1958, she joined the nursing staff at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Baker City.
While employed there she started the Home Health Agency in 1972, was elected president of the Oregon Nursing Association in 1978, and was instrumental in the development, implementation, and management of their hospice program.
Suzanne also took great pleasure in community service and was inducted into the Baker Rotary Club as its first female member in 1987.
After retiring from nursing in 1989, she and her husband moved to Tustin, where she became active in the Cadillac Rotary Club, serving as secretary for several years. She attended the First Baptist Church in Tustin.
She loved her family, home, picnics on the pond, and watching the wildlife outside her cabin window. Her pride and joy were her grandchildren, and her husband Dennis was the person she loved most and together they shared a loving relationship of more than 54 years.
Suzanne is survived by her husband, Dennis, of Tustin; two sons, Craig and his wife Tanya of Tustin, and Michael and his wife Sue of North Bend, Ore.; a daughter, Cindy of Yakima, Wash.; five grandchildren: Matt, Caitlyn, Nicole, Elsie, and Lincoln; and a brother, Victor Marquardt of Jackson, Mich.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Memorial contributions may be made to Mercy Hospice of Cadillac or to the St. Elizabeth Health Care Foundation in Baker City.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, December 28, 2006
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor