Erika Cromwell

Erika Cromwell, 46, Brandon, died Saturday, August 8, 2020, at Ava’s House in Sioux Falls due to Metastatic Breast Cancer.
Visitation with family present was on Saturday, August 22, 2020, followed by a Memorial service at Brandon Lutheran Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations will be put towards her children’s futures, as well as donating to Metavivor, for Metastatic Breast Cancer Research.
Erika Ann Prahl was born on August 14, 1973 to Fred and Katherine (Green) Prahl, in DeSmet, S.D. Erika was very active in high school. One of the many highlights was participating in Teen Age Republicans. She became a legislative page in high school, as well as completing an internship with the state legislature in college. She graduated from DeSmet High School in 1991, then furthered her education at USD, where she received her B.A. in Economics and Business, graduating in 1995. While attending college, she was a member of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority, and was recognized as a top Economics major her senior year.
Erika married Steven Dew in Sioux Falls in 1996, and they had two children; Jeffrey in 1998 and
Rachel in 2003. Erika worked for a few different companies before going to work at First Premier Bankcard as a Credit Workflow Analyst for over 20 years. She was an active member of Brandon Lutheran Church. She also taught Junior Achievement classes for many years in the Brandon Valley School District.
Erika was diagnosed in 2012 with Stage 2 Breast Cancer. In October of 2014, she received word that she had progressed to Stage IV (Metastatic) Breast Cancer. Erika was determined to not let a diagnosis of terminal cancer dictate her life, and set about living life to the fullest.
Erika married Chris Cromwell on January 1, 2016 in Brandon. She and Chris loved to travel.  Whether a family trip, or just the two of them, they had many wonderful adventures together. They went to Chicago, and then on to Milwaukee for a Pink Concert. They traveled to Atlanta for a family trip, took trips to the Omaha Zoo, trips to Minneapolis, and went to Las Vegas to see Panic at the Disco.
Erika was known as the Queen of Transforming Leftovers, as she could turn anything into something awesome. At work, she was known as the Google Queen, finding whatever she or her co-workers needed to know through her in-depth searches. She loved family, family traditions, and family memories; acting as unofficial family historian.
Erika started fundraising for breast cancer charities in 2013, completing her first walk after just completing six weeks of radiation treatment. She captained a team that was top fundraisers for years. In 2020, just a month before her death, she championed a fundraiser that raised over $1,000 for Metavivor, a charity that donates money to breast cancer research.
   Erika will be deeply missed by her husband, Chris; two children, Jeffrey and Rachel Dew Brandon; parents, Fred and Katherine Prahl, Lake Norden, S.D.; brother, Justin (Kyla) Prahl, Normal, Il.; along with their sons, Toby and Zach; her lifelong best friend Lana Bornitz, Sioux Falls; and many cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.
Online condolences at www.heartlandfunerals.com