Claire, 83, had not been feeling well in recent weeks, his son, David Erickson, currently president of the company, told the newspaper. "I have no doubt what he did was out of love for the three of us siblings," he said. "I think he was just tired and knew her situation wasn't going to get any better."
Daughter Mimi Kron and her husband, Jim, found the couple in their bed. The Ericksons were wearing pajamas and appeared to be sleeping. They looked peaceful, David Erickson said.
Hudson Police Chief Marty Jensen told the paper that it was Hudson's first homicide this year. David Erickson said he assumes his father shot his mother, but police would not confirm those details. An autopsy was under way Wednesday.
The Ericksons had returned Monday to Wisconsin from Florida, where they typically spent about half the year. Their children had visited them there to celebrate the couple's 60th wedding anniversary March 18. Claire Erickson told the family he was not feeling well and had been experiencing vertigo for the past several weeks, David Erickson said.
Betty Erickson had been suffering from Alzheimer's for about 2-1/2 years, said the report. While the disease had not progressed to the point of being severe, it troubled her husband.
"In Florida, he said, 'You know, if something ever happens to me...your mother will have to go into a home, because she cannot take care of herself,' " David Erickson recalled. "I wish he would have given us the opportunity to take care of both of them."
The congregation at Bethel Lutheran Church, where the Ericksons were longtime members, was in shock, said the Reverend Dennis Nelson. The couple had been active with the church for decades, and Betty Erickson often volunteered with church activities. "They were just solid citizens and good folks," Nelson told the paper. "No one in the world anticipated this would happen."
Betty Erickson was born in St. Paul, and Claire Erickson in Barron, Wis. They graduated from Hudson High School. Betty attended the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Claire was an alumnus of the Virginia Military Institute and Ohio State. They had lived in their home on Crest View Drive for 51 years.
The family started in the dry-goods business before buying their first gas station in 1950 in Red Wing, Minn. They also owned a refinery, which was sold in 1970. As the number of stations grew, mostly in rural areas, they added c-stores to the operations. The company has more than a dozen stores throughout the Twin Cities metro area.
In the 1980s, the company got involved in the community banking business, buying Lake Area Bank in Lindstrom, Minn., and Roundbank in Waseca, Minn. Claire Erickson served on the banks' boards.
"We still can't quite comprehend or believe it," said David Erickson of his parents' deaths. "But we'll get through it; our family's pretty strong."
Besides David Erickson, of Lakeland Shores, Minn., and daughter Kron, of Hudson, the couple is survived by daughter Kristi Kampmeyer, of Sunfish Lake.
A service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Bethel Lutheran Highlands Church in Hudson. Visitation will be one hour before the service at the church and from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday at O'Connell Family Funeral Home in Hudson. (651) 228-2121.
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