Dr. Marc T. Erickson

Dr. Marc Thomas Erickson, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, finished his race and stepped into Heaven to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Tuesday, June 16th, 2026.

Born in Bemidji, Minnesota, Marc truly lived wherever he was. The son of an Army chaplain, Marc attended four different high schools before attending Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. While at Wheaton, he met his soulmate and ministry partner, Nancy. Together they made plans to serve the Lord in missions.

After graduating from medical school at the University of Washington (1966), Marc was drafted by the US Army and was sent to Milwaukee. It was during this early ministry in Milwaukee, that Marc and Nancy built many relationships that supported them in Africa and the far corners of the World.

As a missionary, Marc was fearless, faithful and all in. He had a passion for Jesus and a compelling sense of adventure. When God called him to Africa, he answered the call without hesitation. While working at a leper hospital in Ethiopia the U.S. state department told him that Somalia was closed following a military coup. God told him to go anyway.  Marc and Nancy obediently gathered up their four children and talked their way on to the last plane into Somalia (1969). The mission in Somalia sent him up-country to Bulo Burti where he employed his medical degree to run a hospital. He also bult a basketball court where crowds of young men came to play and a special few gave their hearts to Christ. His approach to life was so exuberantly unconventional that the confused government officials eventually accused him of being a spy and asked him to leave the country (1971).

Marc and Nancy returned to Milwaukee, with their five children, and a lifelong passion to reach international students. Marc took a job in the Emergency Department of County Hospital (now Froedtert) but eventually left there to start the Emergency Department at St. Mary’s Hospital. There, on the front lines of meeting needs in the city he was loving people and pointing them to Christ with dignity and compassion. In his spare time, he pursued his calling to be a pastor.

Soon after their return to Milwaukee, Marc joined Stuart Briscoe in the early days of Elmbrook Church. In addition to preaching at Elmbrook, there was Wednesday night Bible study at the Scanda House, Friday night college ministry, and frequent short trips back to Africa and eventually Asia and the Middle East. Many precious people that he met and ministered to became “family” and the list of people who came to live with them is too long to print.

In 1981, God called Marc to start Eastbrook Church. Initially it was attended by many of the students who had been touched by his years of College Ministry, attendees from the Scanda House Bible study plus three Eastside neighborhood groups from Elmbrook. Eastbrook was a culmination of his vision to have an urban church that also drew from the suburbs and reached back out to the nations. God blessed this church beyond anything they could have imagined. Under his shepherding, Eastbrook became dynamic, loving, organic, diverse international Spirit-led church full of life and gifts of the Holy Spirit, with a strong mission focus.

Marc was a Doctor, a pastor, a missionary, a husband, a father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was also a runner, a coach and a digger. The last two probably say the most about who he was at his core. He was not afraid to work hard and nothing was beneath him. He dug foundations, sewer lines, retaining walls, a clay basketball court, and a water line to his house. He was also a great runner. He excelled on the Wheaton College track team and continued to run and coach for decades.

Marc is survived by Nancy, his wife of 65 years. His five children: Marc (Judy), Mike (Ann), Paul (Kyla), Lisa (Adam) and Heidi (Dan). His 21 grandchildren: Katie (Tom), Marc, Erin (Daniel), Christian (Tatiana), Adam (Fiona), Andrew, Heidi, Emily (Adam), Betsy (Ryan), Madeleine, Amanda, Ben, Christer, Haley (Amjad), Clay (Sunni), Kenzie (Tyler), Libby (Oliver), Sallie, Chloe, Molly, Shelby; 24 great-grandchildren; and by thousands of people who he welcomed into his “family” and the Family of God.

His greatest passion in life was to share the love of Christ with every single person he met. 

He is in Heaven with his Savior.

The Memorial Service will be held at Eastbrook Church (5353 North Green Bay Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53209) on Sunday, June 28th, 2026, at 4:00pm. Visitation will be held from 2:15pm until 3:45pm prior to the service at Eastbrook Church. 

Memorials can be sent to:

-Eastbrook Church 

-Eastbrook Academy: The Marc and Nancy Erickson Scholarship Fund

-Samaritan’s Purse

-Heal Africa – scholarships for chaplains or residents

Please send any Tributes/Memories to the family at:  memorieswithmarc@gmail.com 

You can go to the Eastbrook Church website by using this link: https://eastbrook.org/

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