Henry Emmanuel Ericson, a resident of Hiattville, Kansas, passed away Friday, August 27, 2021, at the age of 91. Henry was born on March 1, 1930, in Salina, Kansas on his mother’s birthday, to Clarence Cornelius and Amelia Gladys Helena (Hanson) Ericson.
In 1940, his family moved from Assaria, Kansas to Savonburg, Kansas to farm with his grandfather. Henry graduated from Elsmore High School in 1948. He was a lifelong member of Friends Home Lutheran Church in Savonburg, where he married his lifelong companion, Doris Graham, on December 24, 1952.
He served in the United States Army during the Korean War from 1953 to 1955 serving at Sault Saint Marie, Michigan. They returned to Elsmore and then moved to Hepler working for farmers in those areas.
In 1962, they purchased their own farm near Hiattville.
As a young 4-Her in the Happy Hustlers in Allen County, he started his Angus cattle herd under the Double X Bar brand.
At Hiattville, he started the Cloverdale Angus Farm but kept the brand. He was a member of the Kansas Angus Association, the American Angus Association and helped form the Southeast Kansas Junior Angus Association so his grandchildren could begin their own herds. He was also a member of KLA, served on Bourbon County Extension Board, Bourbon County Fair Board and was a 4-H swine leader for the Hiattville 4-H Club.
In 1990, he and Doris were inducted into the Kansas Master Farmer Homemaker group for their Extension, agriculture and community involvement.
In 2007, his family was recognized as the Kansas 4-H Family of the Year. He served as the President of the organization.
He served on the board of the Friends Home Lutheran Church, USD #235 School Board, and Craw-Kan Telephone Board.
For sixty-seven years he was a Free Mason attached to the Virginia Lodge #315 and a thirty-five-year member of the Thompson-Harkey Post #25 American Legion.
Henry is survived by his wife of sixty-eight years and seven months, Doris, his daughters, Debra Lust, Ft. Scott, Karen Ericson, Riley, Kansas, Susan Jones (Roger), LaHarpe, Kansas and Brenda Peacock (Terry), Golden, Missouri; his sons, Kevin Ericson (Donna), Frisco, Texas and John Ericson (Ellaine), Ft. Scott, Kansas, seventeen grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister, Gloria Crowley, of Frontenac, Kansas.
He was preceded in death by a son, George Russell “Rusty” Ericson, his parents and two brothers, Gordon and Dale Wesley Ericson.
Henry will be remembered by his family and friends as a fun loving, hardworking, God-fearing man that will be missed.
Rev. Chub Bolling will conduct funeral services at 2:00 P.M. Sunday, September 5th at the Friends Home Lutheran Church west of Savonburg, Kansas.
Burial with military honors will be in the Elsmore Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Saturday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the Elsmore Alumni Scholarship Fund or the Bourbon County Fair Association and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.