Wayne H. Erickson, age 66, of Sisseton, passed away on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 while hospitalized in Edina, MN.

Funeral services will be at 2 pm on Tuesday, March 29 at Grace Lutheran Church in Sisseton, SD. Special music will be provided by Yelduz Shrine Chanters, of which Wayne was a member.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 PM on Monday, March 28 at Grace Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall in Sisseton, SD with a Memorial and Masonic Service to follow at 7 PM. Interment will be at the Highlanda Cemetary in Langford, SD at a later date.

Wayne was born on June 3, 1949, to Harlow and Lois (Likness) Erickson in Britton, SD. He was baptized at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Langford, SD. Wayne graduated from Langford High School in 1968. He attended General Beadle College on a football scholarship, but ended up leaving early due to a ruptured appendix. He went on to attend MDTA classes and received certificates in plumbing, electrical, and carpentry. Wayne was employed by Anderson Construction, the Sisseton High School as a carpentry teacher, S & S Trenching, the City of Sisseton for 26 years as the Public Works Director, and BDM Rural Water as the Roberts County Project Manager and now Field Services Representative.

Wayne married his high school sweetheart, Ann Ogren, on October 8, 1971 and they had three daughters, Kari, Kimber and Kayla. The couple lived in Sisseton, where he was an active member of the community. Wayne was involved with the Sisseton Fire Department, SD Municipal League, Venture Board, Roberts County 4-H, FAN Club, Jaycee's, and a member of the Grace Lutheran Church. He was also involved with the Masons, Scottish Rights, and Yelduz Shrine.

Wayne loved life and found most joy spending time with his family. He took great pride in his daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren, and had an adoration like no other for the love of his life, "Annabelle". Trips to the Black Hills and family vacations to the SD State Fair for 4-H and friendship was a favorite time.

For being such a large man, he had a very soft heart and it continued to grow even softer with time. He was known to give out bear hugs to those special to him and lent a helping hand to anyone in need.

He loved to tinker and there wasn't a project too big or too small for him to tackle. Anything that needed fixing, he was there with the right tool. His daughters (and son-in-laws) took advantage of this, but he enjoyed every second!

When he needed to get away from the hustle and bustle, he would find peace and relaxation at Roy Lake and the Ogren Farm.

Wayne loved sports. He enjoyed competing for the Langford Lions, General Beadle Trojans, Butch's Buzzards softball, intramural basketball and played golf in the summer months. He also loved to cheer on his kids and grandkids. He had fun at Minnesota Vikings games, but he enjoyed watching the smiles on his grandkids faces more than the game itself. Most recently, he had really grown fond of the NDSU Bison, where he enjoyed time at the Fargo Dome with his brother, Larry.

Wayne was blessed with a beautiful voice and he shared it with the world. He was always humming a tune. He could put a rhyme together and sing a jingle to add cheer to any situation. He was a member of the church choir for years and was a long time Yelduz Chanter, an ecumenical group of Christian men who used music to spread the word about the Shriner Children's hospitals. He took great pride in their work and also enjoyed the competitions they participated in around the US.

The Shrine played a huge role in his life. He was passionate about making a difference in the lives of children through this great organization. He was currently serving as the High Priest and Profit for the Yelduz Temple and was in line to be the Potentate in 2019.

Grateful to have shared his life is his wife, Ann of Sisseton; 3 daughters and son-in-laws, Kari (Gordon) Nielsen of Sisseton, Kimber (Aaron) Severson of Sioux Falls, Kayla (Chad) Serocki of Sioux Falls; 8 grandchildren, Nate, Blake, Dilynn, Emmalee, Drake, Jazlyn, Luke and Tyson; 1 sister, Nancy Krueger of Watertown; 2 brothers, Larry (Nancy) Erickson of Moorhead, MN, Richard Erickson of Marlborough, MA, and numerous brother and sister-in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harlow and Lois Erickson, his parent-in-laws, Mervin and Gay Ogren, his brother Bryan Erickson, an infant granddaughter Isabella Rose Serocki, and 3 brother-in-laws, Leon Jones, Ron Ogren and Steven Fairchild-Portugal.