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Joan Erickson

December 8, 1954 — April 17, 2026

Manitowoc

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Joan Erickson

Joan Erickson, 71, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully at home on April 17, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

Joan was born to Raymond and Dorothy Erickson on December 8, 1954. She and her siblings grew up in the "big house" on Michigan Avenue, a place where they shared their deepest secrets and dreams. Her family's most cherished memories of Joan will linger on in the stories of their childhood -- from the exhilarating mornings of Christmas to the sun-drenched trips to Pigeon Lake, where they drank all the orange crush soda and Joan famously donned her iconic pink gingham bathing suit.

Joan attended Lincoln High School and later earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from Lakeshore Technical Institute (LTI). Her lifelong dedication to care began as a candy striper and blossomed into a career as a Psychiatric Registered Nurse. An adventurous soul, she worked as a travel nurse in Hawaii and California, but her heart was always at her cottage on Lake Algoma. There, she found peace gardening and reading thousands of books on her Kindle. Joan was also a talented digital creator who loved exploring the adventures of the internet.

She will be most remembered for her sweet little smile -- one that said, "I see you, I know you and I love you for exactly who you are."

She is survived by her three daughters: Lisa Weber (Jesse Ayotte), Michelle Cherney, and Ashlee (Mark) VanderHoogan. Joan is further survived by her ten cherished grandchildren and her loving siblings: Sherryl Garza, Shelley "Pinky" (Steven) Schwartz, Patrice Vogel, Kelleen Erickson and special friend David, Tari Anne (Andrew) Miller, Gerald Erickson and special friend Cindy. Joan has twenty seven nieces and nephews, and a very special nephew, Alek "Buddy" Setzer.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond Erickson and Dorothy (Omen) Swensen, and her beloved daughter Tammy Leiterman and brothers-in-law Thomas Garza and Ken Vogel.

Joan will be laid to rest with her ancestors in Maple Grove, Wisconsin.

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