Family of a man killed in a hit and run in north Red Deer want to remember Darren Nickolson as a man who truly enjoyed sitting around a fire with close friends.
Nickolson, 38, was killed Sunday evening, in the 5200 block of 76th Street. Red Deer RCMP said an older model truck struck Nickolson, who was standing near a parked vehicle. The truck then fled the scene.
Darren’s older brother Barry said Darren was on the side of the road, helping a friend with his trailer at that time.
Darren was born in Fort Smith, N.W.T and came to Red Deer for school. He attended Red Deer College and studied to be a plumber.
Plumbing was Darren’s passion, and it ran in his family. Darren had three brothers and two of them are also plumbers, as was his father. He took great pride in his work.
“Darren was all about his job,” said Barry. “Whenever he called me it was always about what plumbing project he was working on. In fact, throughout this grieving process three separate strangers that worked with him reached out to us to tell us how much they admired Darren and how saddened they were about him being taken from us.”
An Oilers fan, Darren loved camping with his friends and family.
“He once told me his favourite thing to do was have a few beers around a fire with close friends,” said Barry. “So I plan to honour this memory by having friends and family over around my backyard fire pit enjoying some cold beer and sharing stories of him.”
Police say the truck they are looking for is an older model, possibly 1970s or 1980s, with a red cab, amber lights on the roof and a homemade or custom built wooden flatbed that is painted black.
The truck lost its passenger side mirror in the collision and sustained damage to the passenger side of the wooden flatbed.
“Darren I will miss your crazy phone calls and I love you dearly,” he posted on Facebook.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at www.tipsubmit.com.
mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com
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