John Hilmer Erickson's Obituary
John Hilmer Erickson, civil rights attorney, proponent of Palestinian rights, descendant of Vikings and grandpa to a horde, died July 30 at his home in Berkeley, California. He was 85, and the cause was prostate cancer.
John devoted much of his work life and retirement to human rights issues. He was the lead attorney on a groundbreaking case for women’s rights, Crutchfield v. AC Transit. The Alameda County agency, which had a policy against hiring female bus drivers, was forced in 1976 to end that policy as a result of the lawsuit.
He also represented the Native American tribes that occupied Alcatraz Island from 1969 to 1971. He co-founded the law firm Erickson, Beasley & Hewitt in 1977 and worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund on employment discrimination cases.
After retiring in 2010, he became an activist for Palestine. As executive director of FOSNA, a Christian advocacy organization for Palestinians, he built it from an all-volunteer group to a nonprofit with paid staff. He also served on the board of the Oakland YMCA.
John was born June 10, 1937, in Grants Pass, Oregon, and raised in Portland from the age of 7. There he met his future wife, Barbara Anne Burns, in high school. His senior year, he came in first in the 440 track and field event at the Oregon state finals. He attended Yale University, majoring in mathematics and physics, and earned a master’s in physics from UC Berkeley.
He and Barbara wed in Portland in 1959 while they were both in graduate school. In 1961 they moved to Uganda, where they taught at a Muslim high school and where their first three children were born. In 1964, John took a job with Boeing in Seattle, where they had their fourth child.
In 1968 he earned a degree in law from UC Berkeley.
A tall, quiet man with a sharp wit, John kept busy with many hobbies, including woodworking, raising chickens and keeping bees. He appreciated good food and was a fan of Bay Area sports teams.
He loved the outdoors and spent summer vacations backpacking in the mountains of Northern California. In 1972, he drove his family of six from Berkeley to Fairbanks, Alaska, and back in a Volkswagen bus.
In 1990, he and Barbara bought 80 acres on a mountain in the Mendocino National Forest, where they built a rustic cabin and hosted their many grandchildren during the summers.
Having learned at age 60 that he was not 100% Swedish but in fact part Norwegian, John became a member of the Sons of Norway and faithfully attended its annual lutefisk dinner. In his final years, he found out that he was also descended from the Forest Finns of Sweden and embraced that identity.
John is survived by Barbara, his wife of 62 years, and 20 descendants: his son, Peter Erickson; his daughters Anna Erickson White, Jenny Sanjeevan and Mandy Erickson; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. The service will be livestreamed. Donations may be made to Palestine Legal or the Islah Reparations Project.
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