Cathy Erickson

Catherine “Chatty Cathy” Erickson (neé Carpenter) joined her Heavenly Father on July 1, 2023. She was born to the late Stephen and Vida Carpenter on March 27,1936 in Plainview, Minnesota. She was the third oldest of nine children, which may explain why she chartered her own course west in 1954 to the golden shores of California by “horse and buggy” (according to her middle granddaughter, Samantha, anyway).

Cathy soon found her way into the heart of NASA Engineer, Donald Erickson in 1957. The two planted roots in Westchester where they welcomed their first daughter, Amelia “Amy” Weinstein (Jason) on a blistering July day in 1963. Amelia was Cathy’s “princess” and she never let her forget it—even when Cathy and Donald “ruined” her third birthday with the birth of their second child, Carl Erickson (Julie) on a slightly less blistering July day in 1966. The family of four would eventually find themselves in Valencia at Old Orchard II, which remained Cathy’s home sweet home, even after tragically losing her “Don” to colon cancer in 1984.

Luckily, our outgoing, Chatty Cathy was not alone for long as her “sweetheart” George Richard Strauss gave her a second shot at love. George easily made her swoon with his adoring renditions of “You Are My Sunshine.” The two fostered a love that rivals any of the Hollywood classics, even if she made him “go fish” from time-to-time. Nevertheless, like clockwork, George and Cathy built their routine of evenings spent together and regular attendance at Sunday mass, while also finding time to travel the world—sometimes alone, sometimes with family.

Speaking of family, Cathy was well-known in the Valencia community for being everyone’s “grandma,” as she ran a daycare business from her home from 1971 until she was forced to retire while battling breast cancer in 2006. While, she may have been that figure for all, Cathy never hid her love for her grandchildren. She was quick to ask any of her five (Danielle, Samantha, Kyra, Ryan, and Brett), “Why is grandma such a lucky old lady?” to which she would promptly get a response of, “Because she has five gorgeous grandchildren.” While Alzheimer’s prevented her from getting to know them, Cathy was also blessed with two great-grandchildren (Braxton and Harper).

As a quiet descends from the void Chatty Cathy leaves, her family is left with many memories, stories, and laughter to reflect fondly on. A private family ceremony will be held at Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall, where Cathy will be interred. The family requests that should you feel so inclined, in lieu of flowers, please donate in Cathy’s name for research to either the National Alzheimer’s Association or a breast cancer foundation of your choosing.