John Whitney Erickson's Obituary
John Whitney Erickson of Middleburg, Virginia, passed away on November 24, 2025.
John was born on December 27, 1968, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, son of Donna Sullivan Erickson and the late Donald Roy Erickson. John grew up in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, where he grew up loving the mountains and the pristine air they bring. His childhood memories and activities were filled with fond memories of hiking, camping, fishing and even flying in small airplanes with his family.
The family moved to Northern Virginia in his teen years, where John attended Chantilly High School. He also graduated from Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After college, he returned to Northern Virginia, where he met and married his loving wife, Maria. John and Maria have made Middleburg, Virginia, their hometown ever since.
John was a gifted and highly skilled drummer. In his early years pursuing music, he was in many performances with various bands and praise and worship teams, traveling around the area and beyond. In the pandemic days, his drum set at home quickly became a popular attraction with the neighborhood children and little nephews and nieces, who he quickly fascinated with his drum solos. He loved sitting those little ones in the drum chair to start showing them how to make some noise.
In his personal life, John was a man of unwavering faith, always happy to share his passion for the Word of God and God’s goodness to whoever wanted to listen. John and Maria’s home has been filled with many young people throughout these many years - hosting Bible studies, hangouts, and many celebrations sharing and modeling that a life lived in Christ is a life to the full.
John worked for various tech companies in the area for several years, but the positions he held at Leesburg Airport and Foxcroft School were his favorites – being close to home and having daily, meaningful interactions with people one-on-one. He also served the Philomont Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company for many years, where he received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Obama.
John leaves a lasting, loving legacy in his community and family. Being a naturally gifted teacher, anyone with a close interaction with John was sure to have learned one thing from him.
John is survived by his wife of almost 30 years, Maria; his mother, Donna Erickson; his sister Lori Trump and brother-in-law Keith Trump II; his beloved nephews and niece – Keith
(Jennifer) Trump III, Veronica (Dean) Hassler, Matthias Trump and Josiah Trump; four great nephews and nieces; his father-in-law Ray Sales; sisters-in-law Regina (Joeddel) Dioquino and Maria Rowena (Michael) Reuter; brother-in-law Andrew (Rachael) Sales; nephews and nieces who adored “Unc J” – Logan, Elizabeth, Kristian, Danny, Asher, Rinnah and Micah; and a host of many other relatives and friends who will miss him dearly. He was preceded in death by his father, Donald Erickson, and his mother-in-law, Leonidas Sales.
A celebration of his life will be held for friends and family on January 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Loudoun Funeral Chapel at 158 Catoctin Circle SE, Leesburg, Virginia 20175. A live webcast will also be available for the service. Please contact Loudoun Funeral Chapel for the login details.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, please consider donations or acts of service to be made to Tree of Life Ministries in Purcellville, Virginia. https://www.tolministries.org/
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