Mary Lou was born in Pearson, WI, on March 14, 1927, to Gertrude Peterson and Kenneth Francis (Frank) McLellan. The oldest of six children, Mary Lou was raised in Three Lakes, WI.
After graduating from high school in 1945, she married Peter Erickson and they raised four children together: Dale (Spike), Ingrid (Cookie), Pete and Ellie.
Mary Lou lived a life that was rich in experience and in friendship. She was a terrific cook and hostess. She could cook everything from wild game to classic French cuisine and make it look effortless. Her homemade bread and pecan rolls were legendary. Her great-granddaughters loved gathering around her kitchen table for Swedish pancakes with lemon juice and sugar. She cooked at camp for orphans from inner city Chicago, making them submarine sandwiches on her own homemade bread every week. And she made dozens of birthday cakes, often the first birthday cakes anyone ever made just for them. She cooked for astronauts, governors, archbishops and even a cardinal. And she made endless delicious meals for her extended family and friends. The secret ingredient in all of her recipes was love.
Mary Lou traveled the world, from the islands of Greece to the highlands of Scotland. She watched a ballet in Moscow, visited a training camp for Iditarod dogs in Alaska, floated down a lazy river in Germany with a stop at the shoreline for a homemade pickle, and spent many happy nights singing along with Irish musicians in Doolin.
Mary Lou loved books and music and knew the words to just about every song ever written.
She was witty and kind and generous and had a great sense of humor. And it goes without saying that she was a wonderful person to have as a friend or a relative. She enriched our bodies with her delicious food and our souls with her love and kindness. She will be profoundly missed, but she truly lived a life worth celebrating.
Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents, Gert and Frank; her siblings, Bud, Pat, Tess and Sara; her husband, Pete; her son, Peter Lee; grandson, Peter Alexander; and her infant daughter, Julia.
Mary Lou is survived by her brother, Kenneth (Helen) McLellan; her children, Spike (Ellen), Ingrid, and Ellie (Kori); her “adopted” son, Ron Rodriguez; her grandchildren, Tod, Julie and Derek; and many great-grandchildren; nieces; nephews; and friends who adored her.
A funeral mass for Mary Lou will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 25th at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Three Lakes. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service and a luncheon at the Reiter Center will follow.
A special thank you to the staff at Milestone Senior Living in Rhinelander who took such good care of Mary Lou during the last three years of her life, and to Compassus Hospice, who were there for her at the end.
Arrangements by Gaffney-Busha Funeral Home, Eagle River. Online condolences may be expressed at
gaffney-busha.com
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