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So Weeps the Willow - 10. Pause, then onto "Discovery"
In Loving Memory of Jacob Ogden – born July 22, 1983, died September 17, 2017
Jacob R. Odgen, 34, of Minneapolis, died in his sleep of accidental causes on September 17th, 2017.
Jake was born July 22, 1983, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. He worked as a waiter, and was returning to his research studies at the University of Minnesota in clinical psychology.
He is survived by his mother, Winifred Ogden, Minneapolis, and father Darren Ogden, Forest Lake; his sister, Twyla (Steve) Smith, Ham Lake; his brother Cory (Elizabeth) Ogden, St. Paul, grandmother Geri Staten, Winona, grandfather Jacob Ogden, Lake Regina, WI, his nephews Logan and Steve Smith, Jr. and niece Ruth Ogden, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
He is preceded in death by grandmother, Stacie Odgen, grandfather William Staten, and a brother John Ogden.
Services will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, September 23th, eleven am, at the Weeping Willow Funeral Home, in south Minneapolis. Burial will be in the Lutheran Brothers Cemetery. A noon meal will be served at the American Legion Hall, in Richfield following the burial.
Memorials are requested in lieu of flowers.
***
From the Ham Lake Herald, September 22, 2017.
Silent killer takes young psychology researcher, in the night
By Nigella Flecks
Jake Ogden was found dead of natural causes by a good friend Natalie Howe early in a morning in September. His death was a shock to friends and family. He didn’t have to die, according to his family and friends.
Howe recalls, “I was supposed to pick him up that morning. I knocked and knocked, and finally, used the key he kept hidden. There was a heater running and it was super hot in the apartment. He looked really pink and wasn’t moving. I’ve never seen anything so horrible.”
What Howe found was a man who died from the silent killer, carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is the result of inefficiently burned fuel, which is deadly to human beings. There are hundreds of deaths in the United States every year due to this poisonous gas.
“He was about ready to start a new life. He was returning to school and had turned things around,” his mother, Winnie Ogden told this reporter. “The makers of the heater killed him. That heater murdered him, and they need to pay.”
Jake’s mother is referring to the lawsuit her daughter is filing against the kerosene heater maker for negligence. The law firm of Rivers, Potter and Associates, a well-known plaintiff’s firm, has filed a case in Hennepin County for the wrongful death of Jacob Ogden. Here is an excerpt from the press release from the firm, “This situation is tragic. There isn’t any rationally good reason Jake died. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be prevented with some simple, effective safety devices and adequate warnings. Consumers are victims of a system that allows faulty products to kill people.”
This victim, Ogden, was a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s clinical psychology program. He took an extended sabbatical, and had planned on returning in the fall to do research. We can only guess what science and academia have lost because of this young man’s death.
“He was one of the smartest people I knew,” his friend and former boyfriend, Edward Logan, remembers. “I was always amazed at how he could listen to a person talk about their problems, and in an instant, he knew what they were feeling. I can’t tell you how much of a loss this is to me, well, to all of us. My heart is broken.”
The lead attorney from Rivers, Potter didn’t have a comment, but here are a few last words from the victim’s father. Darren Odgen says, “My son was taken from me. He was so young and his loss will be felt by all. He’s had a rough time so far. My son had asthma (sic) real bad, and sometimes struggled, but he always fought through things. I’m devastated he won’t fulfill his dreams. My son was a good person, and I can’t express how this really kills me. This is my second son to die. It’s not fair.”
Carbon monoxide is considered the ‘silent killer’ since it is colorless and odorless, and so no one knows when they are breathing it in. Carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the blood and the person’s cells die from asphyxiation. It isn’t a peaceful death. Hennepin County Medical Center physician, Dr. Nathan Roush explains in a story published in the Star Tribune, “Carbon monoxide poisoning causes nausea, disorientation, and other symptoms which can appear as inebriation to someone watching the victim’s behavior after exposure. As the blood saturates with the deadly gas, the victim experiences hallucinations and can pass out. Literally, the carbon monoxide victim is ‘intoxicated’ by the gas and it kills with prolonged and high enough levels of exposure.”
The firm handling the heater manufacturer has declined comment.
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