Norma Erickson, a Malibu resident of 49 years, passed away at her home on Point Dume last month just shy of her 97th birthday.
Erickson was born and raised in New Zealand and was an accomplished athlete in many different sports. She was named to the Junior National Field Hockey team during her teens. She met her husband, Ed, a U.S. Army captain during World War II, while he was on leave in the South Pacific. The pair married in 1944 and settled in New Zealand, where their four children were born. In the 1960s, the family moved to the U.S. and made their home in Malibu. Erickson became a U.S. citizen in 1986.
Erickson was a talented tailor, gardener and competitive bowler who enjoyed daily walks around Point Dume. Typical of Point Dume families of the ‘60s, the Erickson home boasted horses, goats and rabbits, as well as adopted stray dogs and cats.
“Watching Norma talk with animals left the observer with a definite impression they spoke to her as well,” Erickson’s family wrote.
Erickson is survived by her children, Ed, Clay and Yolande Erickson (Dan Ross), and grandchildren Asher and Dash Ross, all of Malibu, and daughter Cindy (Steve Wells), of Mammoth Lakes.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Ed, who died in 2011.