Cathy Lynn Hudson Erickson  – July 4, 1954 – March 24, 2026

A celebration of life for former Wiley, Colorado resident currently of Amarillo, Texas, Cathy Lynn Hudson Erickson will be held at 10:00AM on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at the Peacock Family Chapel with Pastor Mike Bigler officiating. Interment will follow at the Wiley Cemetery. A reception will follow the graveside services at the Lamar Elks Lodge.

Cathy Lynn Hudson Erickson was born in Greeley Co, on July 4th  1954. She is the daughter to James Paul Hudson and Charlene Persyn Hudson and sister to Sheri Ann Hudson Centner. Cathy passed away on March 24, 2026 in Amarillo, TX at the age of 70.

Cathy grew up Wiley CO and graduated from Wiley High School in 1972. She was a leader in all aspects of life. She was a great decision maker and detail oriented that she prided herself on. She was often teased about being bossy, but she just knew someone had to make the decisions. Cathy was a member of the Honor Society, President of many organizations, salutatorian of her class and head cheerleader.

In 1970 Cathy met Mike Smotherman and was married in 1973. The couple lived in Wiley and McClave area for many years. On January 29 th , 1975, they welcomed their only child Thad Michael Smotherman. Cathy could not be prouder of him, and he was the love and light of her life. Their little family was very involved in showing livestock during Thad’s grade school years. Thad made them proud after graduating from McClave high school and going on to college in Sterling CO and then graduating from CSU.

Family was more important than anything to Cathy. She could not be happier than her two granddaughters Kaiya and Henlee Smotherman. Cathy always bragged about how special they were to her and how lucky she was to watch them grow up into beautiful and fine young woman. Cathy also was an admirer of her daughter-in-law Cheri’s floral talents and often commented on how proud she was of her success.   Cathy’s sister Sheri was a huge part of her life as well. Along with her husband Rex and nephew Matt, his wife Adrianne and children Jack and Vaughn.   Her Aunt Pat Drieling was also such an important family member.

So many other people Cathy knew may not have been related by blood, but they were family just the same. Bev Ming was her best friend, often referred to as her sister and also was  Linda Will. Darlene Builderback was a great friend over the years, and also helped care for Cathy’s parents in their later years. Cathy’s life was touched by so many, and she cherished all the friends she made over the years, too many to list but not any less important.
Cathy felt great pride in her career of helping people buying their home and seeing the smiles on their faces. Being a career woman was something she also took great pride in. She loved to stay busy, and working was never really a job, it was an honor to be gifted with a set of skills and a strong work ethic. In 1999, Cathy was awarded Outstanding Lender in the State of Colorado. She also served on the Colorado
Housing and Finance Authority board for many years. It is just one of her many accomplishments and proof of her dedication and hard work.   Cathy’s life changed when she first met her Husband Victor in 1990 at the Colorado State Fair. Victor was dancing and a lady was dragging him around the dance floor.
They made eye contact at the end of one song and Cathy couldn’t stop grinning at him. He asked her, “What are you looking at”? Cathy replied, “ITS TOO BAD YOU WON’T DANCE WITH SOMEONE WHO CAN DO YOU JUSTICE”. And that’s all it took. They dated a couple of years, and life took them in different directions for a few years; but they knew they loved each other from that very first moment they met. However, timing just wasn’t meant to be.   A few years later a newspaper article would bring them back together again. They started dating again and were later married in Lamar, Colorado on July 19 th , 2009. Victor and Cathy would start a life in Wiley, CO. Eventually the two of them would make their
way to Bushland, Texas where Cathy’s career would flourish and so did Victor’s music career. Together they lived out their best days in a home they built together, close to her parents and sharing time with family and friends.

Victor and Cathy’s love story was one filled with dancing, they both loved to swing dance, even enjoyed rodeos and all western themed events. To say the least, there was nothing CITY about their lives. When Victor’s music career really took off in 2015, Cathy and her friend Darlene were his biggest fans, traveling across the country, promoting his band. Cathy was his promoter and she took on that role with great pride.   In 2012 Cathy also took great pride in opening the only Texas branch of Universal Lending Corp from Denver where she was still working up to her last days. Cathy always claimed ULC was one of the best and loved working with them. There were some trying times with this new adventure, but with love faith and hard work, it became an example of how God and determination could really strengthen their
relationship. In 2017, they were finally able to build the house they called home in Bushland. It felt like one of their greatest accomplishments. It was nothing short of PERFECTION as we all know was the only way Cathy wanted anything she touched. And she lived a life that was driven to achieve that and that’s exactly how she lived each day.

Cathy’s family would like to share that the kindness, love and prayers that have been shared have been such a blessing to have and carry them through this difficult time. There are no words for that support other than Thank You! Cathy has left behind a legacy that is felt by many, and those who know her know she was nothing short of a legacy herself.   She is preceded in death by her parents, James and Charlene Hudson, grandparents, Geri Hudson-McAlpine and step-grandfather Mackie McAlpine, Paul Hudson and step- grandmother Kay Hudson, Elmo and Flora Persyn and Uncle Bill Hudson.   Cathy is survived by her husband, Victor Lambert Erickson, son Thad (Cheri) Smotherman, granddaughters Kaiya and Henlee Smotherman, sister Sheri (Rex) Centner, nephew Matt (Adrianne) Centner and their children Jack and Vaughn Centner and Aunt Pat Dreiling.  She is also survived by numerous other family and a host of
friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice either direct or in care of the funeral home office.   Services are under the direction of the Peacock Family.

For current information and online condolences please visit our website at www.peacockfuneralhome.com.