Bill and Ellen Eriksson

Bill was born William Julius on May 2, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York to Gudrun and Karl Eriksson. He died of acute pulmonary embolism on September 29, 2021, 8 months to the day from when he lost the love of his life, Ellen. They had two children, Lisa and Karl, both born in 1962, one in January and the other in December – true Irish twins. Lisa and her husband, John, and their children Clare and Andrew, survive. Karl passed away in July 2021. His daughters, Kaitlyn, Kassidy, and Kristina survive. A first generation American, he was drafted and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War in Okinawa, Japan. He met Ellen in September 1960 and married her on December 3, 1960. Her step-father, a fellow carpenter in New York City, introduced them, and as they say, the rest is history. Bill loved working with this hands and being outside. He started as a commercial fisherman, but when he returned from his Army service, his father helped him get an apprenticeship with the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Union. He became a Master Carpenter, proficient in everything from concrete forms to fine woodworking. He served as an elected Trustee in the Union from the 1970s until his retirement in the 1990s. He was a stand-up guy who was as honest as the day was long. You could always count on him to do the right thing. Bill enjoyed cooking. He made home fries with bacon fat, onions, potatoes, and paprika in a big cast iron skillet that were the best home fries you would ever eat. He served with the Elks in the kitchen and his specialties regularly sold out. More than anything, Bill loved being on the water and fishing. He fished with nets and reels, combed for eels, and dug up clams with his hands. If it lived in the water, Bill knew how to catch it! Bill had a gentle heart and genuinely cared for people; he was kind. He had a wonderful sense of humor and loved making a play on words. For example, Jack in the Box, was Jerk in the Box, Taco Bell was Taco Hell, and a Ford Mustang was a Horsey Ford. When someone took too long at a Stop sign, he would say, “It says stop, not stand!” This world needs all the goodness and kindness it can get, and it has lost one of the best and kindest of men. Bill will be missed forever.

Ellen was born Ellen Marie in Brooklyn, New York, on May 4, 1939, the daughter of Marie and James O’Mara. She passed away on January 29, 2021 from Covid Pneumonia. She married William, “Bill” Eriksson on December 3, 1960. They had two children, Lisa and Karl, both born in 1962, one in January and the other in December – true Irish twins. Lisa and her husband, John, and their children Clare and Andrew, survive. Karl passed away in July 2021. His daughters, Kaitlyn, Kassidy, and Kristina survive. At six feet tall with auburn hair and green eyes, Ellen was beautiful and striking. One of her fondest memories was serving on the School Board in the Phoenicia School District, New York, where her brand of unvarnished truth-telling shook them all up. You never wondered where you stood with her, because she never sugar-coated the truth – no doubt there are many customer service reps who would agree with that characterization. She loved bowling and she was a good bowler, as her trophies, patches, and souvenir bowling pins show. As good as she was, she bowled for fun. Her motto was, if it’s not fun, its not worth doing! And she lived up to that motto. She collected friendships and could talk to anyone. No one remained a stranger in her presence. She was a bookkeeper and worked for H&R Block for many years. She had a brain for numbers and set up accounting systems for several companies when she worked on Long Island. She loved reading and devoured books; she was never without a public library card, no matter where she lived. She was a great knitter, and made and gave away baby blankets by the dozens. She was the life of the party and she will be dearly missed by everyone who ever joined her in this party of life.