HURST, Texas (BRAIN) — Longtime retailer Lee Ericson, who owned Bicycles Inc. in Fort Worth for 42 years before selling this year after being diagnosed with cancer, died July 13. He was 63.
"Lee was always such a great person," Specialized Bicycle Components founder and CEO Mike Sinyard told BRAIN. "So happy, full of energy. I can still remember clearly his laugh and the radiance in his eyes. We all loved Lee. Rest in peace, Lee."
Ericson was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1958 and his family moved later that year to Great Kills on Staten Island. While in high school in 1974 at age 16, Ericson started working for a bike shop in nearby New Dorp. Ericson eventually became acting manager until the shop closed in 1979. He moved to Bedford, Texas, to live with his mom, Doris, who had moved there several years before.
After working at Mecham Airfield in Fort Worth building aircraft hangers, he and Doris became owners of Bicycles Inc. in 1979, selling Specialized and Trek bikes. Bicycles Inc. was a charter sponsor of the annual MS 150 bike ride in Tarrant County, raising money in support of research into a cure for multiple sclerosis.
He owned Bicycles, Inc. stores in Hurst, Fort Worth, Arlington, and Southlake, all located in Texas' Tarrant County.
Survivors include his wife of seven years Tammy; children and spouses: Allison and David Kohtz, Stewart and Lucy Ericson, Alex Ericson, Morgan and Collin Callaway, Taylor Baptista, Colton and Casandra Cathey, and Taylor Cathey; brothers: Nils Valentine Ericson Jr. and wife Ann, Jay Robert Ericson, Roy Walter Ericson and wife Mary, Scott McCaskey, and Robert Blake.
A memorial service is July 31 at Lucas Funeral Home in Hurst at 2 p.m. followed by a celebration of life at Bronco's Sports Bar and Grill. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the American Brain Tumor Association or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
