Two suicides were reported in Durango over a 24-hour period last week, said La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith.
Paul John Erickson, 85, was found dead around noon Jan. 30 by his wife at his home in north Durango, Smith said.
Erickson had a long history of depression, she said. Authorities determined he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to an obituary, Erickson was born in Wisconsin, and moved to Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. He moved to Durango in 1957, working with the Colorado Department of Transportation for 30 years.
“Paul was a gifted artist and an accomplished woodworker,” the obituary said. “He loved fishing, camping, golfing and encouraging his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in all of their endeavors.”
Erickson is survived by his wife, Anne; children, Joel and Paula; as well as a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
On Jan. 31, authorities received a report around 7 a.m. from a friend that their roommate, 22-year-old Emily Dee, had been missing for a day or two. The friends lived in downtown Durango.
Durango Police located Dee about an hour later. She was found dead by hanging. Smith ruled the death a suicide. Dee was a former student at Fort Lewis College, said FLC spokesman Mitch Davis.
She, too, struggled with a history of depression, Smith said.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
