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Darrell John "Big Brother" Erickson, 62, of Cloquet passed away Thursday, Sept. 7 at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. He was born on Aug. 22, 1961.

Darrell grew up in Cloquet, attending Cloquet High School and graduating with the Class of 1980. After graduation, Darrell worked at Perkins in Cloquet for seven years until he finally found something he loved, serving as a security guard at Black Bear Casino as a tenured employee of 26 years. He was a gentle soul, a most generous person and a pure thinker. He would absorb everything around him. Whether he was reading it (he was a professional at that) or seeing it, he embraced it all. He was a lover of books. The greatest thing to waste is a mind and Darrell definitely did not waste that. He was the master of most things and the thinker of all things. As his mother, Corrine, once wrote, "Darrell John is here to share his love with me and others. So special is his nature and kind are all his ways."

Darrell was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth W. Erickson; uncle Kenneth Shaw; and nephew Kevin Liebeck.

He will be greatly missed by his mother, Corrine E. Wick; stepmother, Lauretta Erickson; brothers, Randolph and Russell (Tammie Bishop) Erickson; sisters, Angela Hagen, Jennifer Oeffling and Stephanie Hendricks; nephews Landen (Kelsey) Straub, Brandt (Megan Waller) Straub, Turner and Talan Oeffling; nieces, Mahaila Houle, Ashley Shepherd, Jenny (Ryan) Colt, Taylor (Andrew) Wischnewski, Ari Straub, Dina Oeffling and Jenna Hendricks; great-nephews, Shane Lavamaki and Percy Straub; great-nieces, Jasmin Lavamaki, Mekaila Colt and Presley Wischnewski; and countless aunts and uncles in the Erickson and Wick family lineage.

A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Atkins-Northland Funeral Home in Cloquet. A burial will conclude the gathering at 5 p.m. at New Calvary Cemetery, 931 Pinewood Dr., Cloquet. To sign the online guest book and leave an online tribute, see http://www.atkinsnorthlandfuneralhome.com.

Pine Knot News, Sept. 15, 2023