Janice K. Erickson

Janice Kay Erickson, 68, passed away the afternoon of May 27th at her home in Redding, CA, with her son at her side She had been battling interstitial lung disease, rheumatoid arthritis and essential tremors. Jan was born in Albany, OR, on August 26, 1947, to Robert James and Charlene Marie Groshong. She was a sixth generation Oregonian and grew up on a farm in the Dever-Conner community. Jan attended Albany High School and graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in English Education.

While at Oregon State, Janice met Lief Wright Erickson of Salt Lake City, UT, whom she married on August 17, 1968. While her husband served in the United States Navy, Jan taught middle school literature and earned a Master of Library Science from the University of Rhode Island. Jan and Lief welcomed their daughter, Kellie Dawn, on October 16, 1973. The family returned to Oregon, and son Groshong Andrew was born on May 3, 1976.

After settling her family in the West Hills of Portland, Jan embarked on her library career, starting as a children’s librarian for the City of Tualatin. Janice was dedicated to her work, serving the public as a reference librarian in Multnomah County, Hillsboro, and Beaverton. She worked briefly at the Hanford Technical Library in Richland, WA, and served as Director of the Lake Oswego Public Library. In 2007, Jan moved to Redding, CA, to serve as the Director of Shasta Public Libraries.

Jan was an incredibly hard worker with a love of mentoring, driving positive change and grant writing. In her free time, she enjoyed reading, watching movies, travelling and spending time at the Oregon Coast. Janice was fierce and always willing to fight for justice, yet she had a great sense of humor and was known for her fantastic stories.

Jan is survived by her daughter, Kellie Cloud of Portland, her son, Groshong Erickson of Portland, and her sister, Carol Banks of Albany. She has three grandchildren; Wilton Zander Cloud, Jayna Marie Cloud and David Alan Okeley. Janice is preceded in death by her parents and her sister Donna Barlow of Dever-Conner.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the International Essential Tremor Foundation or the American Library Association. A memorial will be held at

Skyline Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home on June 18 at 3pm.

Please visit Jan’s internet memorial and online guestbook at www.skylinememorialgardens.com.