Alton Herman Erickson

Alton Herman Erickson, fondly known to all as Skinny, was called home on November 16th, 2024 to the welcoming arms of his Heavenly Father. We are sure he was met by his parents, his older brother, and the infamous members of the Skunk Gang who were probably planning a prank on him as he passed through the veil.

Skinny was born on July 16th, 1939 in his family home in Archer, Idaho. He married the only girl he had ever loved, Linda Marcene Rice, and they were married for 64 years. Their love grew and so did their family as they struggled through those early years together. They brought two daughters into the world and became the best parents any child could ask for. They were sealed as a family for time and all eternity in the LDS Oakland Temple in Oakland California.

Their family moved around a lot in their early years landing in Roberts; Idaho Falls; Modesto, CA; and Sonora, CA just to name a few. They spent 20 years in Osgood, ID where their grandchildren have many fond memories of playing basketball with grandpa in his cowboy boots and floating on innertubes in the bug-infested canal while grandpa jumped in the water beside them flipping over their tubes.

Skinny and Linda worked diligently to open a business of their own. Dura-Bilt Transmissions became a well-known name for honesty and exemplary work in the world of car mechanics in both Northern California and Idaho.

Skinny stayed active his entire life. He loved restoring old cars, boating, and razr riding. But his favorite thing to do was going to Yuma, Arizona with his forever wife during the cold winter months. They made this trip south together for twenty years- cooped up in a motor home for two months and loving every minute together.

A storyteller at heart, Skinny could tell stories like no other. They were almost all self-deprecating stories. He loved to make others laugh by laughing at himself. His sense of humor was legendary.

We know that the heavens cheered when Skinny came home. We will miss him deeply but we know he is up in Heaven with his cronies- planning pranks on the rest of us as we pass through the veil.

Skinny is survived by his wife Linda Marcene Rice; his two daughters Keeley Lin (Kevin) Williams and Kristie K (Brock) Beckstrom; his sister Bonnie Jean Hamilton; his brothers Dyle Dero (Nanette) Erickson; and Val Arnette (Valene) Erickson; 10 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents Herman Eugene Erickson and Esther Viola Rawls, his brother Denver Eugene Erickson, and his great-grandson Michael Tyler Beckstrom.

Funeral services will be held on Monday November 25th at 11:00 am at the Sunnydell/Archer chapel located at 201 West 8000 South, Rexburg (Archer), Idaho. The family will visit with friends on Sunday evening from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. and prior to the funeral Monday morning from 9:30-10:45 am both at the church. Interment will be in the Sutton Cemetery.