By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Norris “Doc” Erickson, 68, Commander of the Aurora American Legion Post 84 and owner and operator of Erickson Chiropractic Center in Aurora, died Aug. 20 in his home surrounded by family after a courageous battle with lung cancer.
He was so many things to so many different people. He was a leader for veterans. He worked hard in 1989 to bring a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to Aurora and was determined to not let Aurora’s Independence Day parade fall by the wayside when the city put it on the chopping block in early 2011 due to economic restraints. As commander of the American Legion, Doc stepped up and took the reigns, making sure the parade festivities went on as expected.
In the beginning, when I first went for treatment from Doc, I never knew his real name. His wife called him Doc, other patients in his chiropractic office called him Doc, so it’s just what I called him. He called me Kid, a name I despise, but one I allowed because Doc was special.
As my role of patient transitioned into friend, I discovered Doc’s real name was Norris – no wonder people called him Doc. As a habitual talker, my 15 minute appointments could easily extend past an hour. Doc was never short on conversation and I enjoyed that. When Doc attended to another patient, I’d strike up a conversation with his wife Sally.
I’d tell him time and time again that when I came to his office, I’d walk away knowing something new. Doc was so knowledgeable. What separated Doc from other knowledgeable people was he never let me feel belittled or ashamed over an issue I wasn’t educated about. He’d simply go back to his office, bring out a book or a Xeroxed article and explain the whole mystery to me.
I also remember his sense of humor, a mixture of dry and mundane. At times his jokes were so bad I intentionally give him the “pity laugh,” which I explained was simply a courtesy laugh for the effort put forth to repeat the bad joke. We had a few inside jokes that made some situations difficult to maintain a straight face when we were together.
Yes, Doc was many things to many people. For me, he was my teacher, my healer and most importantly, my friend. His character was beyond reproach and his dedication to the practice of chiropractic care flowed deep.
Three weeks ago, I had an incident with my lower back, the pain of which confined me to a wheelchair for a weekend. Though I knew he was not active with his chiropractic office due to chemo treatments, I Facebooked Doc for his suggestions and informed him I was awaiting MRI results. Through his own pain and discomfort, he continued to reassured me things would get better, give it time and use ice until I could see another chiropractor.
The last Facebook message I got from him, he was inquiring about my MRI and what the results showed. He never made any mention of his own pain. Until the end, he was still devoted to his patients. I last spoke to Doc Aug. 17, the day I heard he was placed in Hospice care. He was not expected to make it through the weekend. His wife graciously put me on speaker phone and I spoke with Doc one last time. He said he’d been getting calls from all over the world, checking on how he was doing. His concern for me was obvious, as he wanted to know how my back was doing. He cut the call short, saying he was tired, but not before he said, “It’s been a hell of a ride, kid.”

Jennifer Rice’s e-mail address is Jen@foxvalleylabornews.com.