Gale V. Ericson, 74, Princeton, formerly of Zimmerman

September 3, 1946 - April 30, 2021

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, May 7, 2021, at Williams Dingmann Funeral Home, Princeton, MN, for Gale Ericson, age 74 of Princeton, formerly of Zimmerman, who passed away April 30. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Gale Vera Nelson was born to Gordon and Ranghild Vera (Rasmussen) Nelson on September 3, 1946, in Moose Lake. She was the first of three children. Gale grew up in Askov and Minneapolis. She enjoyed skating with her brother Steven and reading. Gale graduated from Central High School in 1964. She attended St. Cloud State University for a time and excelled in computers and robotics. Gale met Clayton Ericson, Jr., and they were married November 23, 1968, and to this union, two boys were born. She was the ultimate of mothers! She endured a lot of mischief from her boys, but always loved them unconditionally. An amazing grandma, Gale lived for her grandchildren. She would step in whenever needed to drive them and to support all of their activities. She loved to cheer along with her granddaughters at their cheerleading competitions and to yell loudly at basketball games. Gale and Clayton enjoyed traveling with their sons, bowling, and eating at different restaurants.

Gale was a smart lady and had many interests. She worked at a real estate company, Cub Foods, and at Roma Tool and Plastics for a time. Everyone liked Gale and she made friends easily. When she suffered a major stroke at the age of 50, her family was told she would never recover, but Gale was stubborn and determined. She began rehabilitation and was even able to re-test and gain the ability to drive again. Since her stroke, she had found much enjoyment in working for Goodwill as a stock clerk. You would rarely see Gale without a can of Pepsi in her hand!

Gale will be deeply missed by her family: her husband of 52 years, Clayton; children, Mike Ericson of Foley and Jeff (Julie) Ericson of Zimmerman; grandchildren, Alisha (Duane) Scharffbillig, Maranda Ericson, and Gavin Ericson; great-grandchildren, Gabriel Scharffbillig and Neveah Ericson; her mother, Ranghild Vera Nelson of Brookston; brothers, Gene Nelson of Brookston and Steven (Linda) Nelson of Brookston; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father, Gordon Nelson.