Folsom Funeral Service

Ronald Harold Erickson passed away peacefully on March 24, 2024, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born May 21, 1931, in Springfield, MA to first generation Swedes, the late Harold and Ruth Erickson, he resided most of his early life in Longmeadow, MA. Ronald was known affectionately as Ronnie by his childhood friends and family, and as Ron throughout most of his life. Ron’s older sister Phylis Linder pre-deceased him in October 2018. Ron is remembered by his family and friends as a kind, generous and loving man, a role model who exemplified the values of hard work, loyalty, and integrity. He always saw the best in people and would greet them with his sparkling blue eyes, a big smile, and his welcoming personality. Ron will be greatly missed by all who know him and love him. Two major losses shaped Ron’s life—the tragic death of his beloved mother when he was a teenager and later the premature death his wife and the mother of his children, Lynn. After High School, he proudly served in the Navy during the Korean Conflict, working in counterespionage when he was stationed in Washington, DC. Following the Navy, he attended and graduated from American International College in Springfield, MA, with both a BS and MBA degree. Ron married Lynn Peck in June 1957, who pre-deceased him in 1987. They had three children Andrew, Cynthia, and Laurie, multiple family dogs and many wonderful family vacations over the years. Ron worked hard to provide for his family and send his children to private school and colleges. Early in his career, Ron worked for MassMutual as an investment analyst. He joined Friendly Ice Cream Corporation in 1963 where he served as Director and Vice President of Real Estate for 30+ years, overseeing the acquisition of new restaurant locations, as Friendly’s grew rapidly in the Northeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Florida. Ron loved to travel and took many trips throughout the U.S., and abroad with his wife and children, and later during his retirement. He traveled to China twice, Russia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. He also visited Great Britain multiple times, and travelled across Europe and Scandinavia where he met distant Swedish relatives. Ron has always had a strong interest in history, particularly WWII which in turn influenced his passion for travel, including visiting the D-Day Beaches in Normandy, France. Ron retired from Friendly’s in 1994 and eventually moved from Wilbraham to build a retirement home in West Falmouth, MA, where he lived until 2012. He then moved to Bourne MA with his companion for a number of years, Kelley Pratt, with whom he enjoyed many fun trips in his later years. A charter member and former President of the Wilbraham Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow, Ron continued to play an active role in the Falmouth Rotary Club and served for five years on the Falmouth Board of Appeals. Ron leaves behind his son Andrew Erickson and his wife Janet, and two daughters, Cynthia Zarker, Laurie Grabner, and her husband Kurt, along with his six grandchildren: Amanda, James, Jack, Peter, Katherine, and Abigail, as well as his companion Kelley Pratt. Ron’s family would like to thank the staff at White Oak Cottages at Fox Hill for their compassionate care over the last 4.5 years, and in particular their cook Diane for the tasty meals she served to Ron. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend Ron’s funeral and celebration of life on Thursday, April 4th at 10:00 am at the United Church of Christ, 496 Main Street, Medfield, MA. Later that afternoon at 2:30 pm, there will be an interment at the Woodland Dell Cemetery at 15 Woodland Dell Road in Wilbraham, MA. In lieu of flowers, for those wishing to do so, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts/New Hampshire https://www.alz.org/manh

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