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A veteran's memorial and the two trees

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Contributed by: John Lauridson on 2/22/2006

Our family is very pleased that a veterans memorial is being planned on the land that our family had owned and operated from the early 1900s to the 1990s.

My parents, John and Magdalena Lauridson, emigrated from Denmark in 1904. A few years later he purchased 160 acres. From this plot will come an 18-acre park where the memorial will be located, at 139th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

We believe this will be an extremely fitting memorial as my brother, St. Sgt. Thomas J. Lauridson, was killed near Paris, France, on Oct. 3, 1944, while serving in the 90th Division of the 315th Combat Engineers under General George Patton. Another brother, Donald G. Lauridson, served in the South Pacific from 1942 to 1945.

After returning to civilian life, he was employed by the state game and fish department. He was killed March 17, 1950, in a plane crash while on duty counting elk west of Trapper's Lake near Meeker.

Two blue spruce trees were retrieved from the crash site and planted near the family's home at East 128th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

They grew for 27 years, until the decision was made to widen Colorado Boulevard to deal with the increased development in the area.

Rather than cut the trees down, the city instead pulled the trees out and moved them a few feet back, where they stand to this day.

John Lauridson and his wife, Eulalie, moved from Thornton in 1987 to Brighton, where they reside today.

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Submitted By: Tony Hake

posted on 3/1/2006 @ 7:41:40 AM

Rated Story

Mr. Lauridson, Thank you so much for provding the history behind the land that we are working on to build the memorial! Absolutely fascinating! I hope we can find a way to honor your family and brothers. Tony Hake Vice Chairman Thornton Veterans Memorial Foundation http://www.thorntonveteransmemorial.org

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John Eisel

Denver , COLORADO

John Eisel has posted 2865 stories and 12 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. John Eisel's average story rating is 4.39.

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