Former mayor dies at age 92

Carlton “Bud” Ericksen was a football man through and through.

He played center for the University of Washington Huskies and the Washington Redskins, and was known to recall games play by play.

Two Sundays ago, his daughter, Edith Berg, said Ericksen’s minister came by their Woodinville home for a visit by his bedside.

“I happened to overhear the conversation they were having, and they definitely were talking about football. He mentioned an Oregon game where he probably hurt his leg,” Berg said. “He was a walk-on at the University of Washington. He had to prove himself to play.”

Ericksen passed away the next day, April 14, at the age of 92.

He was born April 10, 1916, in Seattle and grew up in Bothell. His father, Carlton, operated the Ericksen Mercantile store on Main Street, and his grandfather, Gerhard, was an early Bothell pioneer and the town’s first postmaster.

A painting of “The Three Amigos,” as Berg calls them, adorns the side of the Bothell Furniture building on 101st Avenue Northeast and Main Street.

“He was very pleased. He was there (at the unveiling about five years ago) and we were taking pictures. It was a great day for everybody,” Berg said. “It’s a little bit startling. You go around the corner, and all of a sudden, there they are. It’s very life-like.”

Ericksen was always known around Bothell. After serving in the Army Air Corps for 4 ½ years — and attaining the rank of captain — during World War II, Ericksen and his wife, Patricia, returned to Bothell to raise their family. Over the years, he served as mayor from 1969-1973; owned and operated a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership; and was a member of the Bothell Sons of Norway and Bothell Historical Society. At the age of 91, he spoke at the Bothell High Alumni Career Day and encouraged students to work hard and accomplish their goals.

“He was very dedicated to the Bothell community. He was very interested in how the community developed and prospered, of course,” Berg said.

Friends were also high on Ericksen’s list.

“He felt it was very important to keep in touch with your friends,” Berg said. “He had lifelong friends from his football days and all along.

“He loved life, and that’s why he stayed around as long as he could be, so he could see everything.”

Ericksen is survived by son, Michael; daughters, Berg and Susan Ericksen; and granddaughter, Kimberly Dunlap. He was preceded in death by Patricia, his wife of 52 years.

A funeral service will be held April 23 at the Bothell United Methodist Church. There will be a viewing from 10:45-11:15 a.m., and the service will begin at 11:30 a.m. Following a church reception, an internment will be held at Acacia Memorial Park.

The family is creating the “Bud” Ericksen Inspirational Scholarship for a Bothell High senior football player to be handled by the Bothell branch of Frontier Bank. The family suggests remembrances be sent to the Bothell Historical Society.