Caden Tyler Lerbakken was born on June 25, 1994 in Williston, ND to Brandon and Julie Lerbakken. To no surprise, right from the start, Caden threw his parents for a loop. Their expected six-pound baby girl arrived as a 9.5 pound perfect, beautiful baby boy.

As a little boy Caden loved his pacifier, his imaginary friend (Brandon Lerbakken), Elmo and his puppy. His favorite activities were shooting hoops, wrestling his dad, having a full-on baseball game with himself in the living room and golfing with his dad (even though that meant getting strapped to the golf cart by a bungie cord).
Caden loved BIG and loved his family like no other. The love he had for his dad was indescribable… everything Brandon loved, Caden loved and that never changed. He was mad at Brandon one day and told him he didn’t love the Bears anymore, that lasted for one hour. The love between Caden and his mom was incredibly special & deep. He was Julie’s ‘precious’ boy, he knew it and took full advantage of being “Precious”. Caden loved his sisters fiercely. He was their biggest protector and cheerleader but could also easily take on the bratty brother role. That fierce brother landed in school suspension defending Brooklyn and the bratty, playful brother also resulted in an ER visit for Cam. The stories are endless, but they all are filled with his complete love for his sisters.

Caden was an athlete. Every sport he tried he had a natural talent for, even from a very young age. He won a state wrestling championship as a little boy and he told his mom, “Mom, can you believe I am the champion?” while walking through Target proudly displaying his medal around his neck.

In 2003, Caden and his family moved to Arizona and his focus turned to baseball; he spent every moment hitting, throwing the ball into his mitt, or talking about Derek Jeter. Family vacations revolved around baseball tournaments. The Lerbakkens were fortunate to follow Caden to tournaments in Colorado, California, and Wisconsin. The tournament in Wisconsin resulted in his team winning the Babe Ruth World Series.

In 2010 Caden’s family moved to Texas where Caden found a love for Texas football and Texas girls. The next year the Lerbakkens ended up back in their hometown where Caden continued to play baseball and football on the fields his dad played on. He made many friends and graduated as a Williston Coyote in 2013. After graduation, Caden headed to Arizona to play baseball where he was lucky enough to stay with Grandpa Joel, a precious time for which he was so grateful. The last of college baseball again led Caden back to Williston where he played for Williston State College.

A new adventure began, after college with a move to Bellingham, WA. It was there he would reignite his love for the mountains, snowboarding, golf and made many friends. In Washington he continued his passion for baseball as a patient and compassionate coach for young kids. Caden loved the kids and of no surprise to anyone, the kids loved Caden. However, more than anything in Washington, Caden loved his amazing golden retriever, Marley Bob. Where there was Caden, there was Marley.

Caden hated his giant forehead, but other than that he loved himself. He was confident! Everyone joked with him about his cockiness but that made him even more lovable. In all the different places Caden lived, he developed friendships with many. His contagious smile and infectious laugh would light up every room he entered. He was quite proud of all his special tattoos, always positioning his tatted arm on the correct side in any photo opportunities and those arms gave THE BEST hugs.

Caden loved love. He loved everyone that had the pleasure of being a part of his life. He loved his mom and his dad, his sisters and his grandparents, his uncles, his aunts, his nieces and nephews, his cousins, his super family, and his friends. He saw the world full of experience, opportunity and love and when he found something that ignited his passion, he was all in! The world is a better place because Caden is a part of it. He was the best, most beautiful boy.

There is no shortage of words that could be used to describe Caden but it was best said by one of his many friends.

Caden is Caden. There is no one and there will never be anyone like Caden.