Birth date: Jul 27, 1934 Death date: Jun 9, 2025
Selmer Roger Erickstad was born on July 27, 1934, near the town of Devils Lake in North Dakota to Josephine and Selmer Erickstad. He grew up on a homestead wheat farm in North Dakota and graduated from Devil's Lake High School in Read Obituary
Such a great guy! I met him during my time at LeTourneau University. He was Faculty Athletic Representative for many, many years. We also spent time together at Copper Mountain, CO and played golf just about every day. He'll be missed by so many.
As many others have described I had the privilege of first meeting Mr. Erikstad in the classroom as a student. He inspired me to pursue additional studies in statistics and then to teach at LeTourneau. There is no higher compliment than to follow in someone's footsteps. It is akin to Paul giving a charge to follow his example of imitating Christ. I count it a blessing to know Jesus more fully by having crossed paths with Roger Erikstad.
There aren’t enough words to describe Grandpa Erickstad. He may not have been my grandpa by blood, but he was by heart. Some of my earliest memories are with him and Grandma—teaching me how to ski, trying to teach me to golf, and attempting to explain Fibonacci sequences. Our games of Rook, and eating lefsa and pickled herring, are some of my core memories. Thank you, Grandpa, for everything. You’ll always be in my heart.
Roger was a long-time colleague and good friend of my Dad, Larry Anderson. There was also a bit of friendly competition between them... When Roger retired from LeTourneau, Dad said, "Well, I have to teach at least another 5 years so I can beat Roger!" And he did, but Roger got the last laugh by outliving Dad, who passed in October. In the past few years as Dad's health declined, Roger would often visit him, and it always lifted his spirits. I'm thanking God for the gift that Roger was to Dad and to our family. I can just imagine the two of them now in heaven swapping stories just like old times.
Mr. Erickstad initially influenced us by modeling genuine care for us as students— and convincing us to take every math elective he taught!! He succeeded! He visited us in Iowa. He called us about Job opportunities. He engaged us in thought-provoking conversations about history, doctrine, and even current politics! He kept in touch with us after graduation for nearly 40 years! He entertained us with riveting stories of his adventures. Most revealing, I was agent 003 and he was Sidekick. I willingly accepted his missions. Ohhhh, how I will miss him. His brilliance, his humor, his 90 years’ worth of wisdom. Ohhhh, for heaven when we will once again be reunited.
Mr. Erickstad's trigonometry class was my first college class. It was on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in the fall of 1982. I still recall the very first class, where Mr. Erickstad used the walking patterns on campus to explain the hypotenuse, which was the straight-line dirt trails that cut diagonally across a section of lawn, saving time and wear and tare on shoes by following the concrete or paved trail that only went one direction at a time ... the sides of a right triangle. I had never planned to go to college, but after four years or working as an electrician apprentice, I decided to give it a try. Mr. Erickstand was an encouragement factor in my switch from the technology program to engineering, even though he may have never known that. He saw potential in me early on, after I got a 108 on my first trig test. I have never forgotten him, Dr. Roden (calc 1), Dr. Baitie (physics 1 and calc 2, summer after my first year) or Miss Foote who helped me in my weak area - reading and writing (I have publish occasional columns since 2001, on life and liberty). I was very blessed by LeTourneau college ... even just the fact that they accepted me for college, but the professors, like Mr. Erickstad were incredibly giving and truly enriched my life then and from then on.
