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Maureen Lois Erickson, 82, of Huntsville, passed away at home on January 6, 2026.

Maureen (Mo) was born on July 13, 1943, in Fitchburg, Massachusetts to Helvi and Harold Misslin. She was preceded in death by her parents and sister Patricia, and survived by her brother Michael, husband Lawrence (Larry), children David, Martha, Christopher, and beloved granddaughter, Breanna Foster.

Besides being a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, Maureen was a multitalented musician, teacher, and seamstress, with a raucous sense of humor and fighting spirit that met adversity with determination. In the 1950s, her musical talents were demonstrated as the organist at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Fitchburg, as well as playing the organ for Rainbow Girls ceremonies in Fitchburg. For her service with the Rainbow Girls, she was awarded the coveted Grand Cross of Color.

Maureen graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1961, which included participation in the band, orchestra, choral groups, dramatic club, literary club, as well as playing intermural volleyball. She graduated with honors, being awarded a coveted "Gold F" for academic achievement.  Her talented bassoon playing won her a position in the 1961 Massachusetts All State Band. It was in the Fitchburg High School band and orchestra where she met her future husband, Larry. Mo played bassoon, and Larry played clarinet. Because of the seating arrangements, they could keep an eye on one another and wink back and forth. They would frequently sing duets at various church functions. Much later, in Picayune, Mississippi during the 1970s, they were still singing duets, were members of the church choir, and Mo was the organist at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Picayune, Mississippi.

Mo graduated from Worcester State College (now University) in 1965 and began her career as a math teacher at B.F. Brown Junior High School in Fitchburg, but soon moved into a math teaching position at Fitchburg High School, where she taught until she and Larry were married on June 24, 1967. Two days later, they moved into an apartment in Ludlow, MA, close to Westover Air Force Base where Larry was stationed. Larry and Mo were married for 58 years, but Mo often pointed out, since they'd dated for 10 years, they'd actually been a couple for 68 years.

In May of 1968, David was born, and four months later, Larry got orders for Vietnam, so Mo and Dave moved closer to home, into a duplex owned by Larry's cousin, Robert Hedstrom. They remained there for a year, until moving to LaVista, Nebraska for Larry's assignment to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, where Martha was born in 1970.

After leaving the Air Force, they moved back to Fitchburg and stayed at Mo's parents' house, until Larry received an offer from Lockheed Electronics Company to join a new NASA contract at the Mississippi Test Facility (now Stennis Space Center) in southern MS. In April 1971, they headed south to Picayune, MS where Christopher was born in 1972.  After a few years, they bought a house and lived there until 1980. During the years in Picayune, Mo was involved in a number of unique activities, including being chosen chairperson for the Southside School's Christmas parade float. Mo's chosen theme was the Mouse King from the Nutcracker Suite. She and her volunteers constructed a huge mouse stretching the length of a flatbed trailer, with a place for the volunteers' kids to stand within its back and toss candy to folks along the parade route. It was awarded "Best Float". The following year, she and Larry constructed the Christmas float for St. Paul's Lutheran Church, in the form of a golden pipe organ, illuminated stained glass window, and choir loft where the kids could be seated. It won the award for "Most Beautiful".

Shortly after getting settled in Picayune, Mo became the organist at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and once again, utilized her skills as a math teacher at Picayune Junior High. Her unique teaching ability won the admiration of faculty, students, and parents, including NASA's Earth Resources Laboratory Director, who was, in 1980, more disturbed by Mo leaving the Picayune teaching community than Larry's leaving the Earth Resources Laboratory for a new Lockheed position with the National Abandoned Mine Lands Program in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

While in Oak Ridge, Mo was not content to exclusively be a homemaker, so when invited, she got involved and became a highly valued leader of the staff at Prater's Greenhouse, then teaching math at Robertsville Junior High School and, later, becoming a very successful real estate agent.

A highlight of the time in Tennessee was their involvement with the Oak Ridge Junior Playhouse. Mo and Larry built and painted sets and got completely immersed in the development and production of multiple plays, the high point being the presentation of "Barnum".

In 1985, the Lockheed Oak Ridge organization won the contract to create the Management Information System for the development of the Hubble Space Telescope. Since the program was based at the Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA insisted all the work be done there, so in 1985, they moved to Huntsville, AL.

Huntsville became home for the rest of Mo's life. For many years, she delivered Meals on Wheels and thoroughly loved meeting all the people she served.  Later on, she owned and operated a wallpaper store (Affordable Wallcoverings) on South Memorial Parkway. During this time, she met many people who became good friends throughout their years in Huntsville. She often observed that the store was more like a social ministry in that so many people spent time chatting, discussing, and resolving problems, all over unending cups of coffee.

In early 2011, Mo was diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. The radiation eventually exacerbated the development of COPD and emphysema.

Shortly after arriving in Huntsville, they became members of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, and Mo was a member of the choir and an active member of the Knit and Crochet group. During the COVID pandemic, they decided to remain at home for the duration. Shortly after, Mo's COPD and Emphysema became much worse, and she was dependent on supplemental oxygen. Away from the house, she relied on a portable unit which severely limited her ability to be mobile. Except for very rare occasions, their church attendance ended.

Besides annual cruises, Mo's favorite place was on a beach, so after Larry's parents moved to Florida in the late '60s, they had many more opportunities to spend time on the beach. She absolutely loved the sun, sand, and the warm, gentle surf of Clearwater Beach. She also thoroughly enjoyed the monthly lunch gatherings with her good friends in the Red Hat's group.

Her lifelong favorite composer was Johan Sebastian Bach and her favorite pieces of music were his "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Little Fugue in G".

The family will receive friends on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at Berryhill Funeral Home from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, followed by a celebration of life at 4:00 in the chapel.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund, an organization we've supported for many years. Here's a link to the website:

Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund