Nettie Erickson

Northview - North Mankato Mortuary
2060 Commerce Drive PO Box 4188
North Mankato, MN 56002
507-388-2288

Nettie Ratzlaff Erickson, died peacefully at Monarch Meadows in North Mankato Thursday, February 13, 2014. She achieved the age of 93 years, 2 months, and 1 day.

Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, February 17, 2014 at Crossview Covenant Church in North Mankato. Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, February 16 at Northview " North Mankato Mortuary, 2060 Commerce Drive, North Mankato and will continue one hour prior to the service on Monday at the church. Burial will follow the service at Woodland Hills Memorial Park in Mankato.

Nettie Ratzlaff was born December 12, 1920 in Langdon, ND, the daughter of Jacob J. Ratzlaff and Elizabeth Duerksen. Her twin brother, Henry, born the next day died four weeks later of pneumonia. She received her religious instruction in the Mennonite Church in Delft and was baptized and confirmed in the Bergfelder Mennonite Church in Mountain Lake.

Her family moved from Minot, ND to Mountain Lake following the death of her father in her early childhood, where she attended rural schools through the 8th grade. She worked during WWII as a machine operator at a defense plant in Rockford, IL. She married Guy L. Erickson May 4, 1942 in Kahoka, MO and returned to Mankato following Guy's discharge from the U.S. Army. In 1952, she and Guy moved to Melvin, IA to open Guy's Caf" and returned to Mankato in 1954 to raise their family. Nettie worked at Continental Can, Johnson Reel, and Mankato Paper Box and in custodian care of the Mankato Commercial College. In 1972, she created one of Mankato's first physical fitness facilities, the Magic Trim Figure Salon; owning and operating it for more than ten years. She was a physical fitness advocate. She ran in several half marathons and continued to run in 5k races, even into her late 80's. She loved to travel. From the age of 78, she visited Mexico, Israel, the Holy Lands, New Zealand and Australia with her good friend, Jan Johnson. In 2011, she visited two islands in Hawaii; accompanied by her daughters as her guests.

Nettie was a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church (Now Crossview Covenant Church) of North Mankato for 55 years. She served as a long-time volunteer at her church's former Stoney Point Bible Camp, as a deaconess and as a 30 year Sunday school teacher. Her gift was Christian friendship and evangelism and to those ends for more than 30 years, she carried out the church's work by the provision of hand-written birthday cards, delivered each week to the church's members' mailboxes. Her faith was based upon her favorite bible verse, John 3:16.

Nettie is survived by her husband, Guy; son, Gary G. (Leslie) Erickson of Sunburg; daughters, Leilani K. (Joseph) Barnes of Alexandria, Terry Lynn (Larry) Sparks of Lake Crystal; seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren; two brothers, Dennis (Darlene) Goossen of St. James and Leroy Goossen of Coarsegold, CA; two sisters, Jeanette (Joseph) Grant of Mountain Lake and Arlene Goossen of Aberdeen, SD; sister-in-law, Eva Goossen of Trimont; numerous nieces, nephews, extended relatives, and friends.

Nettie was preceded in death by her parents; step-father, Peter W. Goossen; sister, Clara; four brothers, Henry and Elmer Ratzlaff, and Jonas and Donald Goossen.