Ralph Erickson

Ralph was born October 1, 1950 to Marvin and Kay Erickson in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He died on November 23, 2025 at his home where he had resided for the last 64 years. For the last year, Ralph fought a courageous battle with cancer. Funeral services will be at 2:00 pm Friday, November 28, 2025 at the Hofmeister-Jones Funeral Home, Parker South Dakota with burial, including military honors, at Rosehill Cemetary, Parker. Visitation with the family will be at 1:00 pm prior to the funeral. In Lieu of Flowers, memorials may be directed to the family to be put towards a charity in Memory of Ralph.

Ralph was baptized at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Humboldt, SD. He was confirmed at St. Christina’s Catholic Church in Parker SD.

He attended country school, Wellington #107 until the 6th grade. Following a move to the family farm, he then attended Parker Public School. He was part of the South Dakota All-State Football Team in 1967. He graduated in 1968 and then attended South Dakota State University. He graduated in 1973 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. While at SDSU, he participated in the ROTC program. He entered pilot’s training at Craig Air Force base in Alabama upon graduation from college. It was a proud day for all when he received the coveted Silver Wings. He continued training at Merced, California and was later assigned to the Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Base, Omaha, Nebraska. While serving as a co-pilot on a 707, he made multiple flights overseas.

After his father died suddenly in 1976, Ralph received a hardship discharge from the Air Force. He returned home and took over the operation of the farm and continued to farm until his death. His passion on that land was wildlife conservation and planting and maintaining trees. If you ever visited Ralph on the farm, you were treated to a tour of his tree belts and heard the specifics of each species. He sold and donated many trees, but always followed up with many visits to them to make sure they were thriving.

Grateful for having shared his life are his siblings, Lavonne Meyer, Parker, South Dakota, Virginia Erickson (Bob Kofski) Minneapolis, Minnesota, and brother-in-law Rod Tieman, Vermillion SD; nieces and nephews, Eric (Kerri) Meyer, Erin (Mike) Patten, Evan (Jess) Meyer, Lisa (Lon) Kopecky, Mari (Paul) von Fisher, Gina Mehlhaff, and Daniel (Deb) Mehlhaff, and several great nieces and nephews, and three great-great nieces and nephew. Preceding him in death were his parents, his sister Joanne Tieman, his brother-in-law Loren Meyer, and his step-father, Alfred Johnson.