Denver Post Staff Writer Dec. 13- Speaking from the grave, Columbine High School killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold help answer the question that's troubled the nation for the last eight. Then Dylans father Tom said, Who the hell gave a gun to my son? Addeddate. Within one hour, 18-year-old Harris and his 17-year-old accomplice Dylan Klebold - a fellow Columbine student and Brown's friend since the first grade - were both dead. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. The journal entries Klebold and Harris wrote point to several significant warning signs. "They keep asking themselves, 'What happened? He admired Hitler, yet his great-great grandfather was a respected Jewish philanthropist in Ohio. Despite being tormented by guilt, Sue says she is finally in a better place, and has 'plenty to be thankful for'. . cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 'If I saw Dylan face to face and I could ask him anything, I would ask him to forgive me for not being the mom that he deserved,' said Sue. The lake is almost vacant, except for a few repulsive, suburbanite a$$holes. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. I mean, he was still their son. Tom is a geophysicist, Sue works with handicapped people. Sucks for everyone else. There are some people who saw the sweet side of Dylan. Normally unflappable, Klebolds mother was disgusted by her sons blood-sucking treasures; Dylan loved it, the fun of grossing out Mom. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Learn more about merges. I never liked coffee, but I loved the smell. Today, West Bowles is a soaring modern building facing the Rocky Mountains where ministers preach a fundamentalist Christianity. Wow :/ and on top of that pain she has the knowledge that his final actions were pure evil. There was his mother Susans favorite story: One afternoon, Dylan, age 10, came running back from the creek with a pile of leeches. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Under normal circumstances, this would bring out a barrage of arguments & pouting, but going fishing was not an everyday thing. After the killing: How parents of attackers cope. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. I always remember my brother trying to impress everyone, and myself thinking what a waste of time that would be. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. On Tuesday, as the Columbine massacre was already under way, the father apparently contacted authorities, suspecting his son was involved in the shootings. Reports of the Klebold familys Jewish ancestry first appeared last Friday in the Columbus Dispatch of Columbus, Ohio, where Dylan Klebolds maternal great-grandfather, the late Leo Yassenoff, was a Jewish community leader and philanthropist. Tom and I had brought a number of Dylans childhood stuffed animals, and we placed them in the coffin so they rested against his cheeks and neck. 'For the first time I got it,' Sue said. Failed to remove flower. Letizia of Spain looks chic in an Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' This decision has haunted him ever since. . Oh, MY, that chin and jaw! I held her, but could feel nothing, as I was numb with overload. Yes, the Ever-lasting contrast. Dylan's friends said he had never been on a date; he may never even have asked a. His family and few friends shared memories, the happy ones about Dylan the Boy Scout, Dylan the Little Leaguer, Dylan the wrestler. Sorry if its a stupid question. Toms sister and brother-in-law were the only other family members. We will miss you and we thank you for the joy and love you brought us, it read. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Despite his son's murderous behavior and treachery, David mourns his death. ___Their son, Dylan Klebold, 17, would have graduated from Columbine High School this spring and was planning to attend the University of Arizona in the fall. ", Still, Marxhausen might have survived the Columbine tragedy with his job intact were it not for his continued relationship with the Kleboldsand his very public support of them. I would go to the garage & get my fishing tackle together, & throw it in the back of our 74 Ram. A 'Gentle Boy,' His Parents Told Investigators, Klebold Was Enrolled in an Elementary School Program for High Intellectual Potential Students. After the shooting, Sue considered leaving her hometown, but decided against it so she could stay close to her support network of friends and neigbours who have stuck by her side. The funeral was held at Heritage Christian Center. That unfamiliar expression was perhaps the only thing that allowed us to get through that first, horrific, unreal moment. Two days before the shooting, Cassie had recorded a video of herself testifying to her faith in Christ. Susan and her non-Jewish husband, Thomas Klebold, who operate Fountain Real Estate Mortgage Management from their home, have been residents of Littleton since 1990. In this difficult, jarring talk, Klebold explores the intersection between mental health and violence . On this day in 1999, her son Dylan and his friend Eric Harris shot and killed 12 students and one teacher. Yet the Rev. I would wake up to black skies & coffee bean aromas making their way around the house. Theyre nice people., Harris and Dylan Klebold were obviously crazy and lost, she added. It remained unclear at press time what forms of Judaism or Christianity, or what combination of the two, were practiced in the Klebold home. His mother on the other hand wondered how he could be anti-Semitic, as he was half Jewish and she being full. Pregnant Princess Beatrice dresses her bump Minimalist Queen! When asked about Dylans behavior, Byron indicated that Dylan appeared to be somewhat detached and he went on to explain that as a pissed off teenager. Byron went on to state that Dylan gave no indication to believe that something like this was going to occur. Which leaves the Klebold and Harris parents: What insights might they have to offer this traumatized community? On the way out I asked the lawyer how should I respond to the media. 26 March 2017. His hands were folded on his chest, and stuffed animals surrounded him. Copyright 1999 Although she has battled for decades to gain a greater understanding over her son's actions, Ms Klebold she is now in a place where she is 'happy'. This decision has haunted him ever since. After Columbine, local evangelicalswho said the shootings were the devil's work and who used the tragedy as an opportunity to bring people to Jesusinfuriated him. A small mountain of beanie babies was piled around the boys head, covering the self-administered wound that killed him. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Press J to jump to the feed. . I dont know where all this comes about prejudice. Eric David Harris (April 9, 1981 - April 20, 1999) and Dylan Bennet Klebold (/ k l i b o l d /; September 11, 1981 - April 20, 1999) were an American mass murder duo who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Born on September 11, 1981 in Lakewood, Colorado, Dylan Klebold was considered gifted as early as grammar school. ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. On April 20, 1999, I watched the television in disbelief as the tragic events unfolded at Columbine High School. His family and few friends shared memories, the happy ones about Dylan the Boy Scout, Dylan the Little Leaguer, Dylan the wrestler. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. ", "Our sadness and grief over his death and this tragedy are indescribable," the statement said, and the Klebolds again apologized "to all those who have also suffered a loss of their loved one, and we continue to pray for the recovery of those who were injured. There was a problem getting your location. Byron went on to state that Dylan enjoyed playing games on the internet. KLEboLD: You made me what I am. Go to bed early, we have to get up at 5! Across the road from Klebolds upscale cedar-and-glass home, neighbor Tammi Trojan, 15, remembered the playmate she met seven years ago. Sue Klebolds son Dylan Klebold was one of the two teenagers behind the school shooting at Columbine High School, Colorado, in 1999. "She Said Yes" became an instant bestseller. Dylan Klebold and Ryan Harris killed 13 people at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999. On top of killing innocent people Dylan and Eric did the shittiest thing ever to their families. 'I was exposed to all the horrible things people believed to be true about us,' she said. She came into my arms and sobbed and shook. Don Marxhausen believed that Dylans parents deserved to hear the message of Gods grace. . She is the author of A Mother's Reckoning, a book about the signs she missed of Dylan's mental state. Dylan Klebold asked the traditional four questions, the Times reported. Time to go!. For months Sue was in denial about what her her son had done: 'They said the boys did all these terrible things. What happened? This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. I dont see anyone making a big deal about the fact that Harris was Catholic. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Dylan Bennet Klebold I found on Findagrave.com. I would always cast into those spots, thinking that the fish were more attracted to these parts of the water. A system error has occurred. As a boy, he was in the Boy. 1 review. He was too late, however, to be useful as a mediator. ", Marxhausen said the Klebolds have remained in seclusion because they fear "all the anger and scapegoating and blame-pointing.". ", But at West Bowles, the Cassie legend was not thenand is not nowa matter of debate. Everyone is upset, but I still want to go to the funeral, she said. Cross in remembrance of Dylan Klebold, who w. Friend Eric Harris went on shooting spree at Columbine High School killing 13 & ending in their. Yet the Rev. After Dylans funeral, he described the killers parents as the loneliest people on the planet to The Denver Post. Publication date. On April 20, 1999, two disturbed teenage boys Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris began a killing rampage at Columbine High School in the suburban town of Littleton, Colorado. columbine massacre. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Also known as an outstanding football player for the Ohio State Buckeyes in his youth, Yassenoff had such lasting influence in Columbus that the citys Jewish community center still bears his name. But I wouldnt blame the parents.. Tell them about these good people., Pastor Donald Marxhausen 'Somehow we were lesser human beings we were evil, we were people who did not know how to raise children, there were a world of people who hated us.'. Who wants to begin?. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. When he came back in September, "it was clear this wasn't my church anymore," he says. How could one look forward to a trip if they did not know about it? They were fascinated by violent computer games, by bombs and guns, death and gore, and by the lurid imagery of Nazi Germany. Thats where I think I started getting in trouble with my church, says Marxhausen. Marxhausen said Thomas Klebold, 52, a geophysicist who also runs a small mortgage company, and his wife, Susan, 50, who works with disabled college students, have told him that their dead son's bizarre interests were a secret to them. Byron indicated the last time he saw Dylan was on their fathers birthday. Klebold and Harris were social outcasts in the halls of Columbine, but so are a lot of students in a lot of schools. 'But at this stage in my life, I guess I would say, yes, I am. I honestly don't know how Sue carries on every day knowing that her son both murdered the innocent and left his family to deal with the stigma of his actions. Klebold's body was cremated and his family held a small memorial service. I never nix it now that Ive got Mr. Fix-It. It was to be a private, secret affair, with a few trusted friends. He was asked to start a nondenominational evangelical church in the 1980s, just as the megachurch movement was beginning to take off. 'From what I saw he was on the right track, there were times he was quiet and sullen and spent a lot of time in his room, but I have never met a 17-year-old boy for whom that is not true. Off to the races! She reportedly told Grantz: Its so hard to see my son portrayed as a monster when that isnt the boy I know. We never taught any prejudice in our home. His father was very enraged that day, asking who would give his son a gun. The funeral home and chapel where Dylan Klebolds private viewing took place in Denver,Colorado. based on information from your browser. "I turned it off. Here's details; After a 3rd brief shooting duel with the cops, Harris sat down, with his back against the bookshelf, he placed the grip of his shotgun between. I called John Horan of Horan & McConaty Funeral Service, Denver, Colorado, and together we made funeral arrangements for Dylan Klebold. I turned it off., Still, Marxhausen might have survived the Columbine tragedy with his job intact were it not for his continued relationship with the Kleboldsand his very public support of them. 'They were saying 25 people were dead and I remember thinking at one point, if Dylan is really hurting people the way they're saying he is - I prayed that he would die.'. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Dylan Klebold helped perpetrate one of the bloodiest school shootings in history, indelibly etching the name Columbine into our collective memories. memorial page for Dylan Bennet Klebold (11 Sep 1981-20 Apr 1999), Find a Grave Memorial ID 10972; Cremated, Ashes given to family or . Done. His mother considered herself Jewish, yet the family belonged to a Lutheran church. I'm going to kill you all. On Thursday, April 22, Tom Klebold called and asked for help. I never liked salmon eggs, too much gooey crap that gets on your fingers. Over the next 10 years, Kirsten's persistent evangelicalism would make him the target of accusations that he was exploiting a tragedy. So to have the entire credibility of it washed away, that hurt.". Nature shared the secret serenity with someone who was actually observant enough to notice. As I walked into the incredibly tension-filled room, I knew that the service I had prepared was not appropriate. Share Your Memories and Sympathies and Join the Bereaved! My heart broke for Sue because I knew she was a good person and a good mother, and that her life would never again be the same. Dylan Klebold was a child of upper-middle-class parents, considered gifted in grammar school. As a . Family members linked to this person will appear here. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The West Bowles congregation filled the Bernall's living room the week after April 20, praying and crying and praying some more. Back to society. Normally unflappable, Klebolds mother was disgusted by her sons blood-sucking treasures; Dylan loved it, the fun of grossing out Mom. "I learned how fear can take hold of a community. It seemed back then that when the world changed, these mountains would never move. Privacy Policy. Lakewood, Jefferson County, Colorado, USA, Littleton, Jefferson County, Colorado, USA. Cast, Reel, etc. Police said the parents of both teenagers "are being interviewed" in detail by investigators. Dylan was in an open coffin, with beanie babies lining his head (this helped to cover trauma caused by the gunshot wound). Eric kind of let his feelings be known, his hatreds or dislikes. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. They are picturedexamine a sawed-off shotgun at a makeshift shooting range the year of the shooting. Brian Rohrbough, whose son, Danny, was among the first to die that day, continues to believe that propagating the Cassie legend despite contradictory evidence exploits the grief of all the families in Littleton. This confuses me because I always thought it wasn't Zack who went to the funeral but his parents instead? They wanted the worlds attention and now they got it. However, Marxhausen did speak to the New York Times this week and told its reporters that the Klebold family held a Passover seder in its home this year. OSHKOSH, Wis. (WBAY) - A special event was held in Oshkosh Tuesday afternoon, where the mother Dylan Klebold, one of the two gunmen responsible for the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado . Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. The two approached her, asked if she 'still believed in God' and when she said yes, killed her . This browser does not support getting your location. Is Bob Dylans Judaism blowin in the wind? She's spent years excavating every detail of her family life, trying to understand what she could have done to prevent her son's violence. Yet the Rev. Jackie Collins taught me everything I know. Columbine would open the floodgates of Kirsten's memory. Sue Klebold broke down in tears as she remembered the funeral of her son Dylan He was one of the teens behind the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999 Dylan ended the shooting which saw. I never went swimming, but the water was an escape in itself. Until recently, Sue was on the Mortuary Science Program Advisory Committee and made certain that the program functioned under the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Nothing about this kid sticks out like the easy cases, where there's abuse or neglect or spoiling. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Since existence has known, the 'fight' between good & evil has continued. My brother would already be up, trying to impress our father by forcing down the coffee he hadnt grown to like yet. Littleton was ground zero for the kind of white, evangelical Christianity that was sweeping the country at the time. The motives for Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to carry out the Columbine High School massacre had nothing to do with bullying or revenge and the real truth is even more disturbing. After meeting several times with the couple since Tuesday's shooting-and-bombing rampage at the school, Marxhausen tonight described the Klebolds as being at a loss to explain what drove their son, 17, and his friend Eric Harris, 18, to carry out the attack. Published: 17:21 GMT, 9 July 2021 | Updated: 00:59 GMT, 10 July 2021. There's where you screwed up!' There was his mother Susans favorite story: One afternoon, Dylan, age 10, came running back from the creek with a pile of leeches. Since the tragedy at Columbine High, Susan Klebold has given several indications, indirectly to local media, that she considers herself a Jew. Dylan Klebold helped perpetrate one of the bloodiest school shootings in history, indelibly etching the name "Columbine" into our collective memories. 'I decided to keep my name and stop hiding eventually and just acknowledge who I was,' she said. 1999-04-21. Exhausted by the tragedy, Marxhausen took a three-month sabbatical. Skip Yassenoff also noted last week that Susan and Thomas Klebold had been members of Littletons St. Philip Lutheran Church. Dylans funeral was an open casket. and aw to Zach for attending Dylan's funeral. I smoothed Dylan's hair and kissed his forehead, searching his face for clues and finding none. I would dine on fancy breakfast cuisine, otherwise know as Cocoa Puffs. Two days later, another Littleton, Colo., pastor presided over another funeral. We arrived at the lake, but I dont remember what the name of it is. Oops, we were unable to send the email. There was a myth going around that the boys were bullied and shot up the school to get back at the jocks and the people that called them . Kirsten, 65, arrived in Littleton as a Denver Seminary student in 1974. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. While hundreds of mourners crowded today's televised funeral for 17-year-old Rachel Scott, a victim of the attack, Klebold's low-key service at a mortuary 20 miles northeast of Littleton was. "We rely heavily on scripture," says Kirsten, "and on the premise that Christ is the ultimate forgiver, the ultimate lover, and that only through him can we know the Lord.". As a boy, he was in the Boy Scouts and . We are no longer accepting comments on this article. To summarize it is readily apparent that both Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold felt a tremendous amount of rejection for real or imagined reasons. ", The two couples, declining to speak publicly, have issued statements expressing sorrow for the school attack and asking to be left alone by reporters. Dylan Klebold was one of the two teenagers behind the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999, one of the deadliest school shootings in history, Sue Klebolds son Dylan Klebold was one of the two teenagers behind the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999. Dylan was in an open coffin, with beanie babies lining his head (this helped to cover trauma caused by the gunshot wound). According to Kirsten, the church's youth pastor at the time approached the Bernalls about writing a book on Cassie's life, her descent into sin and her acceptance of Jesus. Sue contacted me to ask for my help in arranging the cremation and private memorial service for her son. countless times, and my mind would wander to wherever it would want to go. Note: what appears to be his white hair streak birth mark. contrasting symbol, because it is so true & means so much the battle between good & bad never ends Here we ponder on the tragedy of Dylan Klebold. Dylan Klebold helped perpetrate one of the bloodiest school shootings in history, indelibly etching the name "Columbine" into our collective memories. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. When your 17-year-old son has just perpetrated what was then the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, killing 12 students and one teacher and wounding 24 others before he and classmate Eric. _____ During his sermon, George Kirsten proclaimed Cassie a martyr. I didnt know he could do this. Dylan recited the Four Questions at a Passover seder recently held at his family home, yet he was buried in a Lutheran service on Saturday. Recalling the day her son was buried, Ms Klebold said he was laid to rest in a cardboard box, and broke down into floods of tears as she said she wanted to 'crawl in that casket with him' and was desperate to understand what drove her son to commit such an atrocious crime. CNN televised the funeral of Rachel Scott and it become the most-watched thing they'd aired up till that point. I loved the water. Dylan was in an open coffin, with beanie babies lining his head (this helped to cover trauma caused by the gunshot wound). Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Eric played Little League baseball and once rescued a neighbor's lost puppy. Obviously, this fight can never end. This monster, she told her hairdresser, Dee Grant, tears coming down her cheeks, was not the son I knew.. He said Klebold's remains are to be cremated and that funeral arrangements for Harris are still being worked out. Dylan was remembered as a Cub Scout who attended church with his family. Neighbors said they were unlikely to attend a funeral mainly because the Harrises kept to themselves after moving in two years ago. "God, who knows about suffering and pain and loss, wants to reach out to you," he told the grieving parents, according to news accounts. Police have identified neo-Nazism and a fascination with Adolf Hitler as among several hate-oriented themes that influenced the pair. I have read the sample you can download off the Apple Book store, but would really like to buy the whole thing. "I pushed [the pain] down, and I did that again with Columbine. Again, Byron indicated that Dylans behavior was normal and that again he wore a black trench coat to act like a bad ass. Again, Byron indicated that he was not familiar with anything his brother was doing but returned to the house when he had heard about the news about Columbine High School. O Absalom my son, my son! Monarch is radiant in blue on a tour Bea's blooming! He wrestles with those memories to this day. Don Marxhausen believed that. Dylan lived here with his parents Tom, a former geophysicist who ran a mortgage business from his home and fixed and rented out homes, and Susan, who worked for the state of Colorado, administering training programs for people with disabilities. DENVER Dylan Klebold, one of two suspects in last week's bloodbath at Columbine High School, led a life of contradictions. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds to their heads in the library a little after noon. When he came back in September, it was clear this wasnt my church anymore, he says. Like. The two, both Columbine seniors, killed a dozen students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Where did we miss the sign?' He indicated that Dylan had knives but to his knowledge had no other weapons. Exhausted by the tragedy, Marxhausen took a three-month sabbatical. There is a July 1999 article in a magazine called "The Director which is a publication for professionals in the mortuary biz. 'I saw it was planned, I saw video tapes they had made, I saw Dylan in a way I had never seen him before, they were talking about what they were going to do, it showed him with weapons. Dylan was in an open coffin, with beanie babies lining his head (this helped to cover trauma caused by the gunshot wound). Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10972/dylan-bennet-klebold. The story of Cassie's martyrdom instantly became legend at West Bowles. I said, Lets just sit and talk for a while. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Dylan Klebold (10972)? Each funeral was special in its own way, just like the person who was buried. Lived: 6430 days = 17 years. Eric's understanding of circuitry was shaky at best, though, and the bombing was a failure. Would I do a funeral for his son? fbi-watchlist. The answer is blowin in the wind. The telecast comes nearly 17 years after the tragedy and on the eve of . His long, skinny body fit awkwardly into the cardboard casket where it would lie until cremation. Add to your scrapbook. You absorb everyone elses pain, and after a while that catches up to you, big time. Still, he concedes, he left when his church needed him most. Cassie Bernall, a Columbine junior, had been shot in cold blood as she crouched under a library table, and word was that in her final seconds she answered her murderer's question and affirmed her belief in God. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. . Don Marxhausen believed that Dylan's parents deserved to hear the message of God's grace. She also fell into the preachers arms and cried,she had lost her baby and all that ran through her head is that she hadnt been a good mother. But thats enough, Columbine HS student Katie Kirk, 15, said bitterly of the idea. Apr 25, 1999 at 12:00 am. After Columbine, local evangelicalswho said the shootings were the devils work and who used the tragedy as an opportunity to bring people to Jesusinfuriated him. He and his friend Eric Harris. You have to be prepared to hurt when you go into the ministry. Another girl, sitting under another library table, had said she believed in God when prompted by Klebold, who let her live, according to Dave Cullen's new book "Columbine." Staff writer Michael A. Fletcher contributed to this report. "In the very . The clean-cut, grieving classmates of the fallen tried to make sense of what was senseless. A family lawyer came. More than 2,500 people flooded the sanctuary of West Bowles Community Church, where Cassie had been a member. From what I have gathered he didn't. I knew I would have to use eggs if I wanted any fish, but that didnt matter at the time. Here's details; After a 3rd brief shooting duel with the cops, Harris sat down, with his back against the bookshelf, he placed the grip of his shotgun between his legs, the barrel was in his mouth, leaned upwards. The funeral home and chapel where Dylan Klebolds private viewing took place in Denver,Colorado. 'I remember thinking everything was good,' she said.