Katherine “Kathi” Lee Erickson, 71 of Forsyth.

Katherine “Kathi” Lee Erickson, 71 of Forsyth, went to be with her Lord on April 13, 2025.  She was born March 12, 1954, at Ft. Knox, KY, to Ross and Edith (Painter) Haver.  Kathi grew up in Virginia and graduated high school in Minneapolis, MN.

She met the love of her life, David Erickson, at Marumsco Plaza in Woodbridge, VA where she hung out with her friends. After a short courtship, they wed on April 12, 1972, in a simple ceremony at the Cokesbury Methodist Church in Woodbridge. David was a Marine avionics tech stationed at Quantico after serving in Vietnam. Kathi’s father, Ross (Sarge) Haver, served in the Army for 27 years.

Kathi and David celebrated 53 years together, the day before she passed.  They have two daughters, Brandy Hector and Cherie Dedrick. A third child, Sabrina, was stillborn.

The couple arrived in Orlando, Florida in August of 1973 and later moved to Pahokee before buying a home on the coast, where Kathi learned auto mechanics through a government-funded CITA program and Pratt& Whitney Aircraft, to hire and train jet engine assemblers. Kathi was the first woman to work on the assembly floor at the company’s Palm Beach Gardens test facility that employed over 6,000.

A woman doing a man’s job, the guys made it hard for her at first, but she won them over with her tenacity, quick wits, ability to understand complex systems, and resolve issues. She was assigned to quality control where she made sure the guys did what they signed off on and that it was done right. I’m sure none of them thought a petite blue-eyed blonde would last a week. Kathi left P&WA after 12 years when David hired her as the administrative manager for his office machine dealership in Port St Lucie, FL.

Seeking respite for health issues and the oppressive heat and humidity in South Florida, they moved to the Springfield area and in December 1999, bought the former Donahue home in Forsyth, MO. Kathi cared for a quadriplegic as a home health care worker and was later employed by Forsyth Motel. A back injury and COPD forced retirement.

Before her injuries prevented her from traveling, they often took her Mustang convertible on day or weekend trips to explore the beauty of the Ozarks. Kathi loved restoring dying plants, maintained several gardens, and a house full of greenery. She collected elephants.

An avid reader, Kathi’s passion was for early English romance novels, Amish stories, and the Bible. She attended Healing Rivers Church until her failing health stopped her from driving.

Kathi was preceded in death by her parents, a daughter Sabrina L. Erickson; her brother, Jon Haver, and two sisters, Nancy Johnson and Carol Joyner.

She is survived by her loving husband David Erickson; daughters Brandy Hector (Mike) of Sabastian, FL; Cherie Dedrick (Mike) of Nevada, MO; two brothers Ross Haver (Kim) of TN; Rick Haver of OH; three grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held at Snapp-Bearden Forsyth Chapel, Forsyth, MO, on Monday April 28^, 2025, from 1-3PM.