Cynthia Brooks Erickson, 75, of West Boothbay Harbor, Maine, passed away peacefully at Maine Medical Center on July 16, 2026, after a brief illness. 

Cynthia was born on Feb. 24, 1951, in Portland, Maine, to Raymond James and Carolyn Nancy (Stearns) Brooks. She graduated from Deering High School in 1969, where she was a proud "Ram" and captain of her field hockey team. She went on to attend Dean Junior College, participated in an exchange program at the University of Salamanca in Spain, and settled in the Boothbay Harbor region in 1971. She later graduated from the University of Maine at Augusta with a degree in business administration and then earned her master’s degree in education from Lesley University in Boston, Massachusetts. 

In 1984, Cynthia met the love of her life, George (Skip) E. Erickson, while both were active in the Lincoln County Community Theater. They married on Aug. 2, 1986, aboard theNellie G IIin the passage of Ram and Fisherman islands during the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club Regatta. Together, they spent nearly 40 wonderful years sharing a life on Samoset Road in West Boothbay Harbor. 

Cynthia enjoyed an eclectic and exciting professional career. She began by co-establishing The Harbor Craftsmen, where she sold her handmade leather goods and sponsored other artists, followed by the establishment of the McKown Square Gallery, a home goods and artisans’ mecca. She later co-owned Colburn Realty Company before joining the brokerage of Ethelyn P. Giles. Cynthia then transitioned to Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences at their West Boothbay Harbor facility. There she served as the Director of the Gaia Crossroads Project, a K-12 educational initiative focused on teaching ocean and earth sciences through the interpretation of satellite imagery. Throughout this project, she was the interface between NASA scientists and public-school educators and co-wrote and edited a remote sensing primer to help teachers and students utilize satellite technology in the classroom. Throughout her time at Bigelow, she also supported other scientists with their research on utilizing remote sensing for marine resource management. In recent years, Cynthia returned to her roots in business and real estate and found joy in property management and financial trading alongside her husband. 

Cynthia was predeceased by her parents and her mother-in-law, Margie Laugel Erickson of Nobleboro. 

She is survived by her devoted husband, George (Skip) E. Erickson of West Boothbay Harbor; her children, Nicholas P. Erickson of Los Angeles, California, John B. Colburn of Portland, and Emily (Colburn) Thompson and her husband, Brian, of South Bristol; her sister, Carolyn (Brooks) Brandon of Graton, California; and her grandchildren, Henry, Eva, Isaac, Harrison, and Margaret. 

At her request, there will be no service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Cynthia’s memory to the Boothbay Region Student Aid Fund to support the continued education of local children.