Memorials

You can now add tributes to fallen friends and family members to our memorial website.  For further information or to submit a memorial entry, please email our office at  alvs_staff@colostate.edu  or call our office at 970-491-3977.  Information to be included in this section will be the person's name, rank, date of passing, cause, where they were serving when they died, unit, home town, age and their connection to CSU (ie - Alumni; Friend of current CSU student; Brother of CSU staff; Sister of CSU student; Son of CSU faculty)

 
Lt. Lewis "Dude" Dent
Date: August 25, 1944
Cause: Killed in Action During WWII
Location: Toryes, France
Unit: 94th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
Served under Gen. George S. Patton
Home Town: Craig, CO
 Colorado A&M mechanical engineering student and also played halfback for the Aggies
Tribute: 
 
1LT Donaldson Preston Tiller III
Date: Feb 27, 1991
Cause: Helicopter shot down
Location: Iraq, Desert Storm
Unit: 1st Infantry Division
Hometown: Miller School, VA
Friend of current CSU staff
 
Pfc. Nathan B Clemons
Date: Jun 14, 2005
Cause: IED attack
Location: Ar Rutbah, Iraq
Unit: USMC 2nd Light Armored Recon Bn, 2nd Marine Division, II MEF
Hometown: Winchester, TN
Age: 20
Friend of CSU student 2009-2013
 
Sgt. Bryan James Opskar
Date: Jul 23, 2005
Cause: IED attack
Location: Ar Rutbah, Iraq
Unit: USMC 2nd Light Armored Recon Bn, 2nd Marine Division, II MEF
Hometown: Princeton, MN
Age: 32
Friend of CSU student 2009-2013
    
Sgt. Chad M Allen
Date: Feb 28, 2007
Cause: IED attack
Location: Al Anbar, Iraq    
Unit: USMC 2nd Light Armored Recon Bn, 2nd Marine Division, II MEF
Hometown: Maple Lake, MN
Age: 25
Friend of CSU student 2009-2013
 
Sgt. Nick Walsh
Date: May 26, 2007
Cause: Sniper fire
Location: Fallujah, Iraq
Unit: USMC 1st Recon Battalion, Charlie Co., 1st Platoon
Age: 26
Son of CSU employee
 
CPT Jason Matthew Galus
Date: April 28th, 2009
Cause: Off-duty bicycle accident
Location: Duncan, Oklahoma
Unit: 95th AG Bn, 434th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Sill, OK
U.S. Army, CSU Class of 2003 (Army ROTC)
Home Town: Colorado Springs, CO
Age: 29
Friend and veteran of CSU student 2000-2003 (Dr William Doe)
Internment: Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver,CO
Tribute:   
Jason Galus was an outstanding Army officer and a graduate of the Army ROTC Ram Battalion at Colorado State University, where he was commissioned in 2003 as a 2LT in the Field Artillery. While a student Jason was a Division I varsity athlete on the CSU Track & Field Team in the middle and long-distance events. Upon graduation from CSU, Jason served in Germany and at Fort Riley, KS, prior to his assignment to Fort Sill, OK at the time of his death.  While assigned with the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One) at Fort Riley, Jason deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) from April 2007 to May 2008. His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge. An outstanding athlete and caring leader, Jason led by example as the many testimonials from his fellow officers and soldiers tell. He exemplified the character and skills of a graduate of the Army ROTC program at Colorado State.
 

CWO3 Kenneth Ryan White

OH-58D Kiowa Helicopter Pilot
KIA June 5, 2011
Cause: Helicopter crash in combat
Location:  Sabari District, Afghanistan
U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division,  B 6-6 CAV
Fort Drum, New York
Age:  35
Son of CSU Employee

Narratives

You can tell the story of a fallen friend or family member and share it with others along with a picture or two of your loved one.  For further information or to submit a narraitve, please email our office at  alvs_staff@colostate.edu or call our office at (970) 491-3977

Tips 

The death of a loved one is difficult and is an individual experience which will be shaped by our own individual differences as well as the nature of the relationship to the one who has died. There is no set timeline for grieving the loss of someone we cared about and were close to. Some losses will hit us harder and earlier than others, and sometimes there will be a delay in the onset of grief. 

A range of emotions is common including anger, anxiety, loneliness, and sadness. 

The ways of coping with grief are as varied as are emotions and experiences, because of our individual differences. What works for one person may not work for another. The following suggestions are simply different ideas that have worked for some individuals in the past and may be worth exploring if they sound like they may be helpful. In addition to these ideas, there are various grief support groups through agencies such as Hospice, as well as individual grief counseling available through the University Counseling Center and private counselors in the community. 

Contact Numbers:

University Counseling Center - 970-491-6053

Veterans Center, Rod Haug - 970-221-5176

  • Writing a letter to the deceased. Many times there are things that we were not able to say before the person died and writing a letter, even one that will never be mailed or read, is a way to be able to express those thoughts and feelings that went unsaid. This can even be a way to say goodbye if we were unable to do that.
  • Personal memorials. These can take any form from lighting a single candle in the person’s memory, to complying a booklet or scrapbook with photos and mementos from the person who has died, such as military patches or insignia. For some people it can be healing to make some sort of tribute for the person, which can take various forms depending on a person’s interests and creativity. Some people will write poems or songs, or find other creative outlets to express their feelings. These types of personal memorials can be kept private or shared with others.
  • Public memorials. Examples of these are contributing money to a monument, sculpture, or scholarship that is dedicated to a specific person or group. Some organizations, such as Hospice also have annual memorial events, such as Tree Lightings, where individuals can contribute financially and have some sort of token in memory of the person who has died. 
  • Talking about the person and sharing their story. This can be done in a variety of ways as well. The above Narrative section of this Memorial page, giving a speech in class, talking with family and friends. Talking about the person helps to keep them alive in your memories.
  • Writing in a journal. In addition to blank journals that are available at most bookstores, there are some guided grief journals available which offer prompts and topic areas to help you get started. A couple examples are “Angel Catcher: A Journal of Loss and Remembrance” by Kathy & Amy Eldon, and “Grief Journal” by Linda Andreozzi.