Marie Erickson

Marie Anne Erickson, 78, of Braddock Heights, died Saturday, September 3, 2011, at Frederick Memorial Hospital, of complications from a stroke.

Born September 5, 1932, in Aurora Illinois, she was the only child of Swedish immigrants Oswald and Annie Erickson. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska, specializing in zoology and foreign languages. After moving to the Frederick area in 1967, her interest in local history, the performing arts, and everyone she met, led to a long and prolific career as a writer. Her articles appeared in Frederick Magazine (formerly Diversions), The Frederick News-Post, the Saxophone Journal, Bluegrass Unlimited, the Gazette, and many other publications. She wrote the text for the original edition of the African American Heritage Sites tour brochure for the Tourism Council of Frederick County, and is one of the historians interviewed in the documentary film, “Up From the Meadows”, which chronicles the African-American journey in Maryland. In 2007, the Tourism Council honored her as that year’s Ambassador of Frederick.

She celebrated her Swedish heritage as a member of the VASA organization. She cared deeply about the environment. She was a cancer survivor. She enjoyed travel, and had visited Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, England, Iceland, and much of the USA. Her trademark beret and tote bag full of notebooks, articles and photos, as well as her astonishing memory, are familiar to her many friends. She remembered the name, face, and story of each and every person she met.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Raymond S. Price, her daughter Ingrid Price and spouse Davis Hall, daughter Blyth McManus and spouse Dave McManus, and grandson Alexander Lewis.

A Celebration of Life for Marie will be held on Sunday, October 9, at 4PM, at the Stauffer Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends contribute to the Historical Society of Frederick County http://www.hsfcinfo.org/members/index.htm , the Friends of the C. Burr Artz Public Library http://www.fcpl.org/information/branches/cburrartz/friends.htm , or the Nature Conservancy https://support.nature.org/site/Donation2?idb=1453349150&df_id=4200&4200.donation=form1