Emory Edmund Coonrod

Emory E. Coonrod, 84, of Aurora died January 2nd 2008. He was born January 19, 1923 in Barnes, Kansas to Emory L. and Margaret (Schuster) Coonrod. He married Margaret Mary Gude on September 3, 1949 in St. Mary's Catholic Church, Nebraska City, NE. After graduating in 1941 from Barnes High School, Barnes, Kansas, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in February 1943. After attending Vanderbilt University under the Army Specialized Training Program, he was assigned to the 53rd Field Hospital. The unit entered combat service in England in the European Theater of Operations on April 20, 1944 and landed on the beaches of Normandy at Utah Beach. From April 20, 1944 until November 26, 1945 the unit served in five major campaigns; Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes Battle of the Bulge, Rhineland and Central Europe. The unit was awarded numerous medals, including the Medal of the Jubilee of Liberty presented by the French government. The unit returned to the U.S. on December 8, 1945 and Emory was discharged from Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas on February 11, 1946. He was employed by the Nebraska Department of Roads from April 1946 until April 1950. He then went to work for the C.B. & Q. R.R. Engineering Department in Lincoln, NE. On merger of C.B. & Q, G.N. and N.P. into the Burlington Northern in 1970, he was transferred to Omaha. In 1974 the B.N. engineering department was relocated to Denver. He lived in Littleton, working in downtown Denver until January 1, 1982, when he took an early retirement for health reasons. Margaret and Emory moved to Loveland in September 1988 then to Aurora, Colorado in March 2004. They are members of Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church in Foxfield. Emory was a lifetime member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. Emory enjoyed yard work, gardening, photography, traveling, woodworking and dancing. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Coonrod, of Aurora; son Kim Coonrod and wife Vickie of Omaha; two daughters, Kathleen Barenberg and husband Philip of Parker, and Jamee McDaniel and husband Kenneth of Arvada; five grandchildren and one great grandchild; brother Earl and wife Dulcie of Everett, WA; sisters Wanda Stigge and husband Edward of Arnold, CA, Donna Sedlacek and husband Lumir of Denver. He was preceded in death by parents Emory and Margaret Coonrod, four sisters and two brothers. Public Visitation, Monday, January 7, 2008, 5-7pm, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 11150 E. Dartmouth Ave (S. Parker Road). Rosary to follow at 7pm. Funeral Mass, Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 9:30am, Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church, 18000 E. Arapahoe Road, Foxfield, CO 80016. Burial, Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 12:30pm, Ft. Logan National Cemetery, Staging Area B, 3698 S. Sheridan Blvd., Denver, CO. Memorial contributions may be made to: The American Heart Association of Colorado 1280 South Parker Road Denver, Colorado 80231 and Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church 18000 E. Arapahoe Road Foxfield, CO 80016 Day is Done When he awakened at the dawn of that May morning in 1945 the silence must have been deafening. When your entire world has been focused on the blur and the noise and the horror of War for over 2 years, it would give a person reason for pause to suddenly realize the end had finally come. He was going home and it was to a world far different from the one he had left. Growing up on the plains of Kansas the oldest boy in a family of 10 children Emory Edmund Coonrod was a product of his age. Born in 1923 Emory's life, like so many others, was forged in the twin crucible of the Great Depression and World War II. For additional strength of character he also endured the dust bowl, the death of two siblings in infancy, a mother racked with arthritis and the loss of his father to a heart attack at an early age. There had been another spring day four years earlier in May of 1941. In a time when most peoples lives were lived to conclusion within a hundred miles of where they were born Emory cast his eyes on a future away from Barnes Kansas. He was eighteen at the time and though the world was at war with each other his nation still stood on the sidelines of the conflict. There was a chance if he pursued his dream of education he could carve a place for himself in the world. He labored that summer in a grocery store and helped his dad deliver the mail on his rural route. The future still managed to hold more promise than threat. In December of that year his nation was attacked and the United States and Emory Edmund Coonrod would no longer be on the sidelines. When you are 19 and your home comes under attack you take it personally. Starting in January of 1942 Emory, like so many other young men from Barnes, tried desperately to get in the game. The Marines, Army Air Corps, Navy, Merchant Marine he applied to them all and was rejected for color blindness. He stayed at home and worked and helped provide for his family. Personal tragedy struck in the fall of 1942. His father was stricken with a heart attack at age 59 and did not survive the year. By February of 1943 the mechanism to wage war had been built and men were needed to man the units. Suddenly color blindness was no longer an issue and one day Coonie received his draft notice and opted to enlist in the Army. Over the next fourteen months Coonie passed through Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, El Paso Texas, Paris Texas, Atlanta GA, Nashville TN and Fort Bragg, N.C. before finding himself in New York City and boarding the Queen Elizabeth bound for England. Though he had been trained as a medical technician, supply officer, and an engineer his only official job en route to the European Theater of Operations was painting the portholes on the ship. Three memories stood out from the days of preparation. The time he was standing on the corner with a buddy and was invited to share a cab with Country Music Star Minnie Pearl. The time he volunteered to help type gas rationing cards because somehow a system had been developed where volunteering soldiers put their phone numbers in the ration cards of pretty and available girls. The best memory of all, arriving on the midnight train in Barnes Kansas to be met at the station by his sisters. He arrived in England and for three months boarded with the Jones's of West Hagley, Birmingham. He trained in Higgins boats, made $28.00 a month, supplemented his income by selling his cigarette rations, looked forward to getting mail from home and finally received his assignment to the 53rd Army Field Hospital. There was initial concern when the suggestion was made that the hospital should be deployed by using gliders. Since the gliders had the nickname the Flying Coffins everyone breathed a sigh of relief when calmer heads prevailed and found a better way to deploy such a valuable asset. On June 6th 1944, D-Day, the pivotal event of WWII took place. 18 days later the 53rd Army Field Hospital deployed and began their march across Europe following the steps of the Combat Units and providing care to the wounded. The campaign began slowly but built up steam as it crossed Europe. The hospital would be moved over 30 times and each time it would take 20 Deuce and 1/2 trucks to accomplish the task. The medical service provided to the troops was of such quality that the common belief among the troops was that army regulation forbad that any soldier that reached the hospital be allowed to die. Not a bad resume for a 22 year old Sergeant from Barnes Kansas who could share stories with comrades about five major campaigns including the Battle of the Bulge. A kid whose proudest moment was marching in the Victory Parade through the streets of a liberated Paris and whose scariest moment was a soldiers prank when he commandeered a couple of canoes on some nameless river in Germany and almost managed to drown himself before he could come home. In February of 1946 a young man, wiser for his experience and poised for success returned to his roots to start his life. His Uncle Charlie said that his journey started in a bath tub. Coonie seemed intent to catch up on every bath he had missed during his time in Europe. He would savor and enjoy the hours of soaping and soaking. Eventually he would leave the tub clean and wrinkled and resume his life which had been placed on hold. Utilizing the education, training, and experience he had gained from the service Coonie spent the next 3 years building roads for the great state of Nebraska. In 1950 with a new wife and the first child, Kathy, on the way, he changed occupations and for the next 30 years was working on the railroad all the live long day. Two more children, a son Kim and a daughter Jamee, joined the brood and through the passage of time Coonie did his part to build a home, a life, and a country. Two introductions marked the direction and the success of Coonie's existence. The first came in the form of a letter saying Greetings and Welcome to military service. The second came when his future brother-in-law Jerry introduced him to the twin sister of his girlfriend Marge. The other half of the Gude girls Margaret would join Coonie for a 58 year odyssey of faith, love, and family. Together they would form a bond that would carry them through joy and adversity and would culminate with the last words Coonie was ever to utter when they exchanged 'Å“I love you' on the last night of his earthly presence. It seems remarkable that the events of his war time service would have such a significant impact on the way he conducted his life. His natural inclination toward the exact and the measured led him to his chosen field of civil engineering. His participation in the biggest event in world history taught him the importance of teamwork, hard work, sacrifice, and consideration of being part of something more important than himself. The specific skill of packing up and moving across country demonstrated itself in the planning of the driving vacations. In an operation any Corps Commander would have been proud of Margaret & Coonie with their group of 3 and Marge and Jerry with their group of 6 would form their convoy of Station Wagons and camping trailers and head out to explore the beauties of Colorado and Yellowstone. The vacations were planned down to the location and construction of the latrine for the campsites. They were spontaneous when the beauty of the location called for the convoy to stop and enjoy. They were documented on pictures and slides that exist to this day organized and cataloged. They were implanted forever in the memories of the children, now adults, who on occasion will break into verses of travel songs while driving down a long stretch of highway. Emory Coonrod was a reflection of his time and experience. He was tenacious in his pursuit of personal perfection and standards. I never saw him attempt any project that was not completed in the best way possible. He was a man who loved goofy caps and whose sense of humor occasionally gravitated to the cornball. He held his family dear and would endure any labor or sacrifice to provide for them. He was a fair man and a man of faith. He believed in his God and supported his church. He loved his country and was the kind of neighbor anyone would be lucky to have. He was private and reserved but would let you know if the flag on your front porch was hung incorrectly or at the wrong times. He was the kind of Father who taught by example and who could be as tough as a drill sergeant or as gentle as a combat nurse. He was a dedicated and loving partner to his wife of 58 years, Margaret. He loved her without limit, partnered with her till death do us part and on occasion tested her patience. On the 2nd of January 2008 Emory E. Coonrod (Coonie) received his discharge papers and left for a new duty assignment. Later today we will bid him goodbye with the presence of his family and friends, with the salute of his comrades and with the serenade of a bugle. Perhaps as he enters his reward these lyrics may follow him: Day is Done, Gone the Sun, From the hills, From the Lake, From the Skies, All is Well, Safely Rest, God is nigh. Phil Barenberg January 4, 2008