Obituary: Erickson, Rodney Everett
Age 76
Both parents being of Swedish decent.
His family was very musical and loved singing old-time gospel music.
This was paradise for a young boy who loved to hunt and fish.
When he was in his early teens his parents moved to the big city of Edmonton.
He missed the country and soon left home to work for his Uncle in Idaho on a TV cable system climbing poles and stringing cable.
At the age of 18 he joined the IBEW Local73 electrical apprenticeship program and met his best friend and future wife, Nancy Miller, who enjoyed the outdoors as much as he did .
He had a natural talent for electrical work and enjoyed it.
They moved from the Silver Valley to Post Falls and raised a family of six sons, Christopher Keith and Jonathan Wade.
Rod loved to sing and perfected yodeling to an art form.
He was a recording artist, world class yodeler, singer, songwriter and first class entertainer.
He recorded his first country hit in the early 70’s.
His first release after signing with MGM was “She Taught Me How To Yodel” which reached the top ten world wide within a month.
The only yodel song to ever go top ten world wide.
Some of Rod’s other chart toppers include “Yodel Sweet Molly”, “Cannonball Yodel” and “Cattle Call.”
In 1976 his song “Going Home” went top in Canada, a first for a country song in Canada.
Billboard magazine chose him as a “top pick,” calling Rod a “virtuoso in yodeling.”
Rod has made many TV appearances and has also been on the Ralph Emery Show as well as Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story.
Rod was featured on the MGM Show in Nashville, and toured the Southeastern states with Grandpa Jones, Stringbean and others from the Grand Ole Opry.
Other stars he worked with include Tammy Wynette, Marty Robbins, Bill Anderson, Mel Tillis, George Jones, Lefty Frizzel, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others.
In 1984 Jonathan was killed in a tragic car accident, Rod dropped out of music from grief for a time, but after acquiring the Fireside Lodge at Spirit Lake, Idaho his fans forced him to sing again.
Rod and Nancy made it a successful family restaurant, B&B and a music center of the Northwest, hosting many names in music.
In 2014 they negotiated the sale of the Fireside Lodge to the City of Spirit Lake to be developed into a city park to be enjoyed by the community.
They traveled south for the winters entertaining in Texas, Arizona, California and Utah on music tours, also traveling the West and Canada in the summers.
These were the best times of their 57 years of marriage.
In February of 2015, Rod was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and after a two month illness passed away April l4th with his wife, son and oldest grand daughter at his side.
Knowing he faced death he never complained but faced it with courage and bravery, saying this home is only temporary.
His only regret was putting his wife Nancy through the ordeal of his last days on earth.
Rodney Everett Erickson is survived by his wife, Nancy Erickson; son Christopher Erickson; grand daughters, Ashley and Sydney and two great-grandsons, Hayden and Holten.
There will be a Memorial Service at 1:00pm Saturday May l6th, 2015 at the Candlelight Christian Fellowship Church in Coeur d’Alene: 5725 N. Pioneer Dr. approx.
2.8 miles North of I-90 on Hwy 95.
More details can be found at www.roderickson.com.
Donations may be made to the Community Bible Church in Pinehurst, Idaho designated for missions.
Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene Chapel, is entrusted with the care of final arrangements.
Please visit Rodney’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com