Jean Delores Foss died October 30, 2018 in Bismarck, ND. Jean was born on April 27, 1929 to Albert and Jennie (Olson) Wold. She grew up in the Scranton, ND area and spoke only Norwegian when she started school. She began working for neighbors helping them clean, cook and babysit when she was just a young girl herself. She was working as a telephone switchboard operator when she met Clarence Erickson. They married in 1948 and lived on the Erickson family farm near Bowman, ND where they raised 4 children (Curtis, Carol, Craig and Colin).

Jean always regretted that she wasn’t able to further her education. She tried to instill a love of reading in her children by providing them with a continuous supply of comic books. There was never a historical marker or a tombstone passed by and her family was expected to read every word (usually with a photo to remember it by).

She had a soft spot for animals and passed that on to her children. They were allowed to have cats, dogs, peacocks, hamsters, gerbils, mice, rabbits, a gopher and a raccoon.

In her younger years on the farm, she loved to be outdoors painting buildings and fences, planting flowers and growing a garden.

Jean later left North Dakota and moved to Sheridan, WY and married Robert Foss. She worked as a grocery clerk for 26 years plus maintained many cemetery plots at the same time. She had a strong work ethic and a very strong body. In 2012 her body let her down when she had a stroke which left her right side paralyzed. She resided in The Baptist Home in Bismarck, North Dakota until the time of her death. Her favorite pastimes included bingo, puzzles and fabric crafts.

Jean is survived by her four children: Curtis (Sandy) Erickson, Carol Wolfe, Craig Erickson, Colin (Nancy) Erickson, 8 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, her sister Marjorie Schumacher and many nieces and nephews.

She was presided in death by her husbands, parents and her brother LeRoy Wold.

A funeral service will be held at Kane Funeral Home in Sheridan, WY on Monday, November 5, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. followed by burial in Willow Grove Cemetery, Buffalo, WY.

 

Online condolences may be written at www.kanefuneral.com.

Kane Funeral Home has been entrusted with local arrangements.

Sheridan & Johnson County Obituaries