About Luisa
Lois Erickson was born on August 21, 1920 in Mulino, Oregon.
She graduated from the University of Oregon in Eugene.
In 1942, she married Kenneth Erickson. Lois and Ken had three children, Sharon, Carol and Rolf.
Beginning in 1957, Luisa worked with the migrant ministry in Oregon, the UFW boycotts, and provided support to the farmworker community for four decades.
In Portland, Corvallis and Eugene, Luisa inspired many churches to collect food and clothing for the migrant workers, allowing families to settle in Oregon and make it through their first winter.
Once a family was able to “winter over” in Oregon, they didn’t have to travel back to Texas or Mexico every year. They could find other jobs and their children could go to school. Even if they still worked in the fields, they were no longer migrants.
Luisa was involved in the boycotts by the United Farmworkers of America, standing in picket lines, giving speeches and interviews, writing articles, and hosting union organizers in her home. For her work, she received a personal letter of thanks from UFW founder Cesar Chavez.
Lois wrote four books on women of the Bible, Leah, Zipporah, Huldah, and Hannah. She also wrote a small book titled Adventures in Solitude.
She spent the last six years of her life living happily with her son, Rolf Erickson, and his wife Renee Bonaparte Erickson in Oregon and Iowa.
Lois passed away at home on March 2, 2007. She is survived by her sister June Anderson (Juanita), three children, seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Her memory is a blessing to us all.
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Copyright 2012, Rolf Erickson