Ifish Memorial: Thank you to all from Jim's Grand-Daughter.

[legend jr.]

Hi everyone. This is Jim's youngest grand-daughter, Christi.

I know that I have posted various replies, putting in my two bits about grandpa on different threads, but tonight I want to make a special thread to simply say 'thank you' to everyone.

Thank you to all of you who have posted your thoughts, stories, and prayers about grandpa. Your words have meant more than any words of my own could express. They have brought comfort to our whole family in the worst of times. I printed out almost all of the postings in the first week or so, so that the family could read them while they were sitting around and I separated them out according to the different threads. If we needed a laugh, we looked at the "tales of jim erickson" pile. If we needed a good cry, we looked at the huge stack of "erickson missing". And if we needed to know that someone bigger than all of this was looking out for [even] him, we went to the pile of "prayers for jim erickson". So to all of you who took the time [whether it be hours, days, or minutes] to write something that you found important enough to be said, thank you so much.

Thank you to Jennie and Bill. Thanks, not only for helping out with this site, but also for being there for grandpa throughout the years. He really needed you guys if you think about it. Whenever he needed someone to talk to, you had an open phone line and an empty chair ready and waiting just for him. So thank you for all of your friendship and down-right dedication to the man that we all grew to love.

Thank you to all that were able to attend the memorial service. Looking out from that stage and seeing all of you [and also knowing that the downstairs and outside were packed] with loving and caring eyes and hearts was so overwhelming, I couldn't even cry at that moment. The feeling of warmth and love that poured over me and the other grandkids was so amazing. It was just what we needed that day. Thank you for being there to help us honor the most ambitious, talented, extreme, loving man that I will ever have the pleasure and luck of knowing.

Thank you also, to all of you that were unable to attend [including the people that got up to the doors of the church and had to leave because it was "sold out"]. Some of you stayed and stood outside the whole entire time and a special thanks and 'way-to-go' from us to all of you guys, but some of you simply had to leave all together. Our deepest appologies to you, but the thought was there and we appreciate it more than words can say.

Now that all my 'thank-you's' are over and done with, I would like to say a few words about the man that I will surely never forget.

I will never forget the way he:
*smiled with his broken teeth.
*always talked highly of his family.
*was content with what he had.
*cried at his 50th wedding anniversary. [tears of joy of course. ]
*fascinated me with his never-ending knowledge of the sport that he loved.
*never missed a day of good river or ocean.
*was fearless about everything in life.
*loved with all the love in the world.
*laughed with his whole upper body.
*was never too proud to ask for help.
*always had some piece of good advice about everything.
*so greatly impacted the person I have grown to be today as well as every person that "had the pleasure of knowing him."

His legacy lives on in me and I will be sure to take his advice and always look for the leasons that are to be learned in every experience in life. [*uh oh. here come the tears*]

**thank you grandpa for every non-material thing you gave me. I will use them to the best of my ability for the rest of my life. **

the legend lives on always,
Christi Erickson.

p.s. thank you to my family [especially my dad] for all the opportunities you gave me to be with grandpa and for being there for me when i broke down about all of this. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I L0VE Y0U ALL!

p.s.s. I also love all of the people on ifish dearly. You mean the world to us and you meant the world to Jim as well.

[Capt George]

never knew him, but i wish I could have had the privilage...I'm sure your grandpa is smiling down on you...........thank you for sharing. cap'n g

[cotalot]

Of all the people I've missed knowing in Oregon, Jim has to be one of the ones I missed out on the most. From what everyone says of him, to have not known him at all, is nearly as great a loss as having known him and having him gone.

[NEUTRON]

Christi, one of the best if not best post I have ever read on ifish. Thanks for sharing.

[Bill Monroe]

Sent you a message, Christi...

[smoltcatcher]

christi. your grandpa was great man. every thing you said hit home to me about my grand fathers. your grandpa will be missed greatly. my god bless your family. love the schwindts.

[iwanttofish]

He sounds like one of those guys I wish I would have known

[crabbait]

Thank you, Christi.

Now back to the top.

[[email protected]]

I hope that you will tolerate this, all ye ifishers... but Jim will forever be remembered at ifish with a this pinned post forever more. It's what ifish is about, after all... and Jim added so so much to it.

I am now going to pin this, and there it will stay.

Christi, absolutely beautifully written. Thank you so much for the smiles and tears, this morning.

Jen

[Pete]

Thank you, Christi. Here's a link to the thread with the tributes to Jim.

[Irish Green]

Christi-Your grandpa was a wonderful man, I first met him in the 70,s and I can,t remember him when he didn,t have a smile on his face and a kind word for and about everything. Jim was the kind of guy you couldn,t wait to see again and didn,t want to say good bye to, to emulate him would be the greatest gift . Your loss is everyones loss also-but the memories of a truly wonderful man lives on.

[baitslinger]

You and your family are very blessed indeed to have a grandpa like Jim. What aways stood out to me is that he was so unselfish. He was always helping the little guy, whether it was a newbie that needed a tip (like me over the last 25 years since he first heped me out!) or a handicapped angler needing a decent chance too try for a steelie, there was Jim to help them out. You know most people in todays world are too busy or important to be bothered with such stuff, but he found time to reach out to others he could help. I feel very fortunate to have gotten to know him too. If you look at that video of him taking the handicapped anglers down the river, it really sums up what a kind of guy Jim was. Thank God there are people out there like him! God Bless

[greenbuttskunk]

great people often have great family. Very special post, thank you!
GBS

[Riverskip]

Jim always was willing to share while on the river and stressed how important it was to take the time to attend OFDW meetings even when I felt all was predertimed and I was wasting my time he would remark that we only loose when we give up and quit making our wishes known

[[email protected]]

I'll bring this up from time to time.

I miss you, Jim. Driving home from the Nestucca this morning, I passed the place our trailer tire went flat and we giggled as we hobbled all the way on the side of the road to Les Schwab, flat tire and all. And I slept in the raft, while it was getting repaired. (Bang bang bang! I was out cold!)

How I love you, Jim and so many, many people did! What a sad, tough year it's been. So many, many losses. The fishing world will never be the same.

Say hi to Willie for us.

Jen

[jimfishk]

I saw the "Fishing the West " show on Sunday with Jim guiding a Guy named Jeff(?) down the river. It was some time ago but a first for me to see this segment. Obviously I wasn't fishing and this was before getting up and working the garden and flower beds SO I can go fishing.

The trip just reminded me of how much Jim loved that river and knew it like no one else.

Someday I hope to get the composure to express myself and my gratitude to Jim's family. (soon)

[[email protected]]

I miss him so much, still! I meant to unpin this. If anyone wants to read any of the memories of fishing heroes that have left us, they are linked on the front page of ifish.
Jim, I'm taking the sticky off of this, but we'll never forget. You are in our hearts forever.
Jen

[maco]

Grandpa sure was great wasn't he christi. Yeah, this is your big brother here. I was just thinking about the cribbage tourney, grandpa and I almost won. Dad and family friend Dan ganged up on the competition, but it was the grandson and the ol man who took it to em, when the cards were dealt. Grandpa was giving it to those guys all the way home.
A week before he died, he brought that 8 year old subject again like it was yesterday. laughed and laughed. Dad didn't like it very much.
I am really missing him right now. Just been thinkin about grandpa lately with Michael's 5th birthday coming tomorrow, and grandpa not being there. You know, Michael was a little too young to brave the upper northfork with his great grandpa yet. I guess I'll leave that up to Dad now.

Michael did fish the northfork the other day with Dad (Mark erickson) and he caught several huge cutthroat. Right under the same bridge I used to limit out under. He and I haven't been skunked one day since Grandpa passed away. I think that Grandpa is still leading his family to the fish in that ol river. So much fun to watch my son fishin the same river I learned on, I just wish that my teacher was still around to teach.
Anyways, I just had to start writing these things when they pop into my head, so I won't forget.