Joyce Archibald Erickson

Our remarkable wife, mother, grandmother, sister, storyteller, teacher and friend passed away in St. George, Utah, on January 16, 2023, while her sweetheart Elden held her hand. Joyce was born July 2, 1931, and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, by her parents, William Wallace Archibald and Inez Stephenson. She graduated from South High in 1949 and the U of U in 1953. She married Elden Erickson, her high school and college sweetheart, in the Salt Lake Temple in 1953. She taught school at Whittier Elementary five years before moving to Southern California. She was blessed to adopt three beautiful children: Kathylane, John, and Jeffrey. She left the classroom to enjoy years with her little ones. Upon their full-time entry into school, she then returned to the classroom, spending 21 years in the Las Virgenes School District in Southern California. She often said, “I loved every day of my career with the children.” She was a master teacher and received the honor of “Employee of the Year.”

Upon retirement, she returned to her school, Lupin Hill, in Calabasas, California, and taught classroom music for three more years. Not one to sit home, she invented a new career, that of “Mother Goose.” She served the schools and libraries of her community with a joyful diet of history blended with the fiction of nursery rhymes. In her costume, carrying her ingenious puppet goose, she traveled the western states performing her magic of storytelling and singing upon children and adults alike. Loving all things beautiful, she soaked in art, music, and literature. She belonged to two book clubs, wrote prose and poetry, and painted watercolors.

Joyce was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in various church organizations. Music was her forte. She was a talented pianist and organist. She spent many years serving as a chorister, accompanist and organist. She loved to study the gospel and share it with others. The crowning achievement of her church service was serving two full-time missions with her husband. Their first mission was to Nauvoo, Illinois, where her musical performance skills and gospel knowledge were well utilized. Their second mission was to San Diego, California, serving at the historical site of the Mormon Battalion and greeting visitors at the San Diego Temple.

Inspired by the amazing experiences from serving their two missions, she wrote three books. The first was a book of poetry accompanied by photos she had taken. The second and third were recounting her spiritual experiences for her children and grandchildren. She was also dedicated to her pioneer heritage. She enjoyed gathering family history and spending time in the temple.

She will be missed by her husband Elden, brother Wayne Archibald, and children Kathylane Hess of Washington, Utah, John Erickson (Laurie) of Cambridge, Idaho, and Jeffrey Erickson (Sonya) of Washington, Utah. She is also leaving behind six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held on Tuesday, January 24, from 2:00-2:45 PM at Larkin Mortuary, 260 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah. A graveside service will follow at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, 200 E. "N" Street, Salt Lake City.

SPECIAL REQUEST: Due to scheduling restrictions, the time slots are brief. We ask that at the viewing and graveside service, you save your thoughts and condolences for the dinner that will begin at 4:15 p.m. The location for the dinner is being finalized.

RSVP: If you would like to attend the dinner after the graveside service, please send a text message to 435-313-1991 with your name and the number of people in your party, so we can make adequate preparations for the dinner.

WEATHER: Please prepare for winter conditions. The mortuary reports that the cemetery fluctuates between a few inches of snow to mud.