William Nels Erling, 82, who helped support his family by working in the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression and became an industrial tool and cutter grinder for 46 years, died of renal failure Friday, Jan. 5, in the Holmstad retirement home in Batavia. Born in Chicago to Swedish immigrants who lived on the Northwest Side, Mr. Erling was one of seven children. Mr. Erling dropped out of high school to help his family during the Depression, traveling to Farson, Wyo., in the mid-1930s to join the Civilian Conservation Corps. “He earned $25 a week which he had to send home to his parents,” said his daughter, Judy Frazier, who recalled a family trip to the campsite where her father worked as a truck driver and laborer. “It was an important time in his life and it was a significant time. He felt like he was making a contribution to the country,” she said. In December 1939, after he had returned to Chicago, Mr. Erling eloped with his childhood sweetheart, Margaret. The newlyweds settled in Chicago, in the neighborhood around 26th Street and California Avenue. There, Mr. Erling became a member of the Douglas Park Covenant Church, where he sang in the choir and taught Sunday school. Mr. Erling later became a church trustee and church chairman before the couple moved to Lombard in the late 1960s, where he again became involved in a church. “My dad loved the Lord and was willing to serve him in any way he could,” his daughter said. Other survivors include a sister, Ruth Niemiec; two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday in the Williams-Kampp Funeral Home, 430 E. Roosevelt Rd., Wheaton. Another visitation will be held at 9 a.m. in the Batavia Evangelical Covenant Church, 1314 W. Main St., Batavia, with services at 10 a.m. in the church.
