Erika Gilbertson

Erika (Kalitta) Gilbertson, born May 22, 1930, in Magdeburg, Germany, died October 2, 2023, at home in Winona.

She is survived by her husband of 68+ years, Robert; son, Peter, and daughter, Julie (Rick) Lyons; 2 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

In 1953 Erika met her future husband in Berlin, Germany, where she was a political refugee from East Germany. They were married in 1955 and came to the U.S. shortly thereafter.

While Bob studied Business Administration, Erika studied interior design, eventually becoming an associate member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Unfortunately, due to health reasons she had to quit full-time work as a designer over 40 years ago. She then turned to designing and sewing most of her own clothes; doing oil and watercolor painting; over 30 needlework designs – framed or pillowed; in addition to raising the family and being the hostess with the mostess among a myriad of other things, all artistic.

Erika was also at the forefront of the Woman’s Equality Movement in the 1960’s and continued her steadfast support the rest of her life.

Her family would like to thank Drs. Turner, Shepard, and Ferris for their 46 years of help, and a special thanks to the Winona Health Hospice team for their wonderful support.

Per Erika’s wish, there will be no public funeral, only a private graveside service for immediate family. She left us with these words, “I’ll see you on the other side of the mountain.”