Carole Vera Erickson passed away in Grand Rapids, MN on September 28, 2018. Born in Montevideo, Minnesota in 1930 to Vera and Fred Boos, Carole grew up in Minneapolis and attended Bancroft Elementary, Bryant Junior High and Minneapolis Central High School. She majored in theater at the University of Minnesota until her marriage to Vernon Erickson in 1950. They settled in Grand Rapids where they raised their family and threw themselves into community service for the rest of their lives. Area organizations learned that Carole's hard work and leadership were invaluable. Over the years she served as a deacon, trustee and elder in the Community Presbyterian Church, a 55-year member of the Grand Rapids AAUW, President of the Camp Fire Girls, Chair of the Grand Rapids Library Foundation, and President of the Grand Rapids Players. She was especially proud of her involvement in the creation of the Judy Garland Festival and Museum. Carole was a born actress and loved the arts. She starred in innumerable productions of the Grand Rapids Players, brought sassy comedy to the stage of Showboat and kept a collection of black hats on hand to become the Wicked Witch of the West whenever needed. A talented seamstress and craftsperson, she sewed hundreds of beautiful costumes, knitted complicated sweaters and afghans and created some blue-ribbon quilts. Her hobbies led to her eventual co-ownership of the crafts store "Peddler's Two" in the Central School Building. With her husband Vern, she traveled widely - ski trips out west, to Innsbruck for a winter Olympics, to Sweden to visit relatives and to Austria for a memorable hiking trip with girlfriends. Later in life, she traveled regularly across the country to read to her grandchildren. Preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her son Stephen Paul, she is survived by her brother, Fred Boos and his wife Anne Marie, her children, Marcia Noebels and husband Jeffrey, Pamela Corson and husband Randall, Glen Erickson and wife Martha, and her grandchildren, Kate Noebels Lovo, and husband Aloisio, Abigail Noebels, Nicholas Corson, and Clay and Casey Cole, and great-grandsons, Ben and Jack Lovo. Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, October 5 at Community Presbyterian Church, with a visitation one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Reif Center or the Judy Garland Museum. See online family guestbook at www.andrews-libbeyfh.com. Arrangements by Andrews-Libbey Funeral Home & Cremation Services, (218)326-4000.