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Writer, poet and teacher Don Erickson dies

Beloved husband, partner, father and grandfather, Oscar Donald Erickson passed gently on December 6, in his bed surrounded by loving family. He was 90 years old.
Don Erickson lived on Bowen for more than a decade and had a long history with the island. He died l
Don Erickson lived on Bowen for more than a decade and had a long history with the island. He died last week at 90.

Beloved husband, partner, father and grandfather, Oscar Donald Erickson passed gently on December 6, in his bed surrounded by loving family. He was 90 years old. 

Writer, teacher, lover of nature and keen observer of the human condition, Don had a wonderful sense of humour, endless curiosity about the world and an irresistible dramatic flair. In conversation he’d often get a twinkle in his eye as his mischievous side burst forth, stimulating new ideas and challenging convention.

From 1958 to 1972, Don spent many wonderful summers at Hood Point on Bowen, initially at the family cabin on Magic Hill (until 1968) and subsequently in rented cottages. Then in 2000, Don moved to Bowen full-time, living first on Dorman Road in the Cove and then moving to Cates Hill. He loved walking in the forests and on the beaches of his island home and discussing philosophy and all manner of things with his good friends, including his wonderful men’s group.

Don is greatly missed by his partner of many years, Jane Dunlop, his children Christopher Erickson (Solange Erickson), Geoffrey Erickson, and Emily Erickson McCullum (David McCullum), his grandchildren Benjamin and Eliza McCullum and Ana Paula Erickson, and of course by his many wonderful friends. He is pre-deceased by his parents, Oscar Ludwig and Myrtle Erickson, his brother Arthur Charles Erickson and his wife Eleanor Anne Erickson (née Strachan).

Don’s wake will be held on Saturday, December 29. For more details, please contact us via Don’s website: oderickson.com/ode/contact/. 

Incidentally, you can read Don’s stories and plays and listen to him reading his poems on the website.