Harvey Jerome Erickson

A memorial service for Harvey J. Erickson of Glenwood will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at Fron Lutheran Church in Starbuck with Don Swenson, S.A.M. officiating. Visitation will be at the church one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Fron Lutheran Cemetery, rural Starbuck.

Harvey Jerome Erickson, son of Newman and Mildred (Olson) Erickson, was born on February 22, 1946 in Starbuck, Minnesota. He grew up on a family farm near Starbuck where he attended country school and later graduated from Starbuck High School.

In 1966, Harvey entered the United States Army where he worked as an engineer and powerman, focused on providing reliable electrical systems in deployed environments. He was stationed in Germany and honorably discharged in 1969.

Harvey was married to Marilyn Olson in 1979. While the marriage did not last, he was blessed with a daughter, Angela, from the union. His relationship with his daughter was special and a source of great pride, as was his relationship with his grandchildren, Elle and Bode. He thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them and watching them grow and thrive.

Harvey lived most of his life in and around Glenwood, but also spent several years in Akron, Ohio. He raised hogs and farmed, operated excavators and other large equipment, and spent most of his working years as a contractor and Jack-of-All-Trades handyman. Harvey enjoyed helping his family, friends, and neighbors with home improvement projects, providing invaluable expertise coupled with exceptional fairness and integrity. He worked independently or in partnership with his brothers for the majority of his career, but his work for Rebuilding Together of Cuyahoga County in Ohio was a vocational highlight, helping aging and disabled residents remain safe and stay in their homes through his efforts. In 2015, Harvey returned to Minnesota and resettled in Glenwood in retirement.

Harvey’s later years were marked by significant health challenges, but his fighting spirit, grateful heart, and optimism extended his life beyond expectations. He underwent surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm in 2012 at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, living the rest of his life without a pancreas and with a single kidney. In late 2017, a fistula that developed between the stomach and aorta required a 16-hour reconstructive surgery at the Mayo Clinic. More recently, Harvey developed a painful case of shingles that disrupted his lifestyle, and complications from earlier surgeries resulted in difficulty with digestion. Despite these challenges, Harvey remained hopeful for a robust recovery until the end of his life. Following complications from pneumonia, Harvey received world-class care in the ICU at the St. Cloud Hospital before passing away on Friday, December 19, 2025, with his daughter and son-in-law by his side.

In addition to his human companions, he very much loved his pets, including Diggity-dog, Munchy-boy, Perry-doodle, Alfie, Zena, and others. He also enjoyed listening to music and talk radio, watching vintage TV and movies, fishing, hunting, gardening, playing cards, visiting the casino, and “solving the world’s problems” in conversation with family and friends.

Harvey died on Friday, December 19, 2025 at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, MN; he was 79 years old.

Harvey is survived by his daughter, Angela (William Rennie) Erickson of Chanhassen; grandchildren, Elle Grussing and Bode Grussing; brothers, Don (Eloise) Erickson of Starbuck and Mike (Mary) Erickson of Starbuck; sisters, Marge Kleinhans of Morris and June (Dan) Levandoski of Hopkins; sister-in-law, Bonnie Erickson of Starbuck, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Newman and Mildred, his brothers, Dennis, Robert and Vernon, and his sister, Beatrice.

Starbuck Funeral Home in Starbuck, MN is in care of the arrangements for Harvey.