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Rick Wilking / Reuters
Two women embrace as the leave the funeral for Gordon Cowden on Wednesday at Pathways Church in Denver.
About 150 mourners on Wednesday attended the first funeral service of a victim of last week's Aurora, Colo., theater shootings.
Gordon Cowden, 51, a father who was the oldest person killed, was memorialized at Pathways Church in Denver.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan and Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates were among the mourners who walked by a large portrait of Cowden at the entrance to the private service.
Cowden, a Texas native who lives in Aurora, had taken his two teenage children to the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," early Friday midnight showing. The businessman's children escaped unharmed.
Related: Funerals, memorials for Aurora shooting victims planned across nation
A separate memorial is planned at the Riverbend Centre in Austin, Texas.
Later this week, families of other victims planned to say their final goodbyes.
PhotoBlog: Memorial service for theater victim Gordon Cowden
Cowden was one of 12 killed and 58 injured when a gunman wearing body armor, a gas mask and toting three firearms, opened fire at the crowded screening. James Eagan Holmes, 24, was arrested behind the theater shortly after the massacre.
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Leave a Comment:
RIP
He may have been the oldest, but he was still too young to die such an awful death! RIP. My condolences to his family.
...and I bet the cowardly NRA had no guts to show up.
Chances are pretty good that out of 150 attendees at least one was an NRA member. Probably more.
Anlass,
You're sick. Get some help.
@Anlass...
Go take your political BS bleeding heart liberal somewhere else and respect the victim; honor him shuting your pie hole..did it ever occurred to you that Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan and Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates may be members of the NRA? not to mention many amoung the mourners.
Take your itch somewhere else you commie lover.
AnAss, I am not a gun owner nor do I ever have a desire to own on. This is by my choice and never do I want to see the rights of those who want to own them lose that right. If that is taken away then what else will be taken? If you are so against guns maybe you should move to a country that has already abolished its citizens from owning and there you shall live in peace and harmony.
How intriguing that just because someone suggests (and is supported by FACTS) that we might all be better off without guns they are a "commie". Remember how the folks in the Tuscon crowd who were packing heat last year when Giffords and others were shot saved the day by killing the perp in his tracks?? No?? Me neither!!
But it WOULD be good for you to remember the actual statistics from the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm) that show that deaths by gun are TWICE as likely to occur from the owner rather than some big bad bogeyman.
And stop the juvenile name calling. All you do is embarrass yourself and show us how ignorant you are. I don't hide behind a screen name because I am not some looney toon taking pot shots at people while speaking out of my arse like you do ;>)D
Was thinking there should of been more to show up besides 150..RIP Mr.Cowden..and trust us..we will take care of that POS.
"...and I bet the cowardly NRA had no guts to show up."
No, they didn't. But they had plenty to say about their right to own assault weapons and 100 round drum magazines. They also had a lot to say about the unfettered and unregulated ownership of deadly toys.
The Second Amendment doesn't exist merely to justify the pathetic fantasies of immature wannabe Rambos. Maybe someone should clue the NRA in.
Will if not a gun, a bomb, if not a bomb a huge fire, people think it's the gun that kills people, It's actually the person using the gun that's the problem. If you did away with all the guns, some idiot would plan away to kill someone. When people didn't have guns at all in the whole world, they made other weapons to kill you with. The fact remains that humans all over the world kill each other. This has been going on for centuries. It's not going to ever end. Even in china were guns are illegal for people to have and people don't have guns at all, they still kill each other, you just don't hear about it. Humans have always killed each other, I guess we can't find anything else better to do with our lives. One day maybe we'll all work together for the betterment of the world. Instead of just each individual country, after all we are all human. We have so much to do and not enough common sense to see the future for all of us. Life would be so much different if their wasn't greed, jealousy, and hatred. Maybe one day that will happen, but in reality we are just not that smart yet. We haven't evolved enough as intelligent human beings to learn that killing people dosn't solve all our problems. In fact, it only creates more problems. We fight wars for power, millions of people have died for the glory of money and power, it will never stop. Then in the end we may just destroy ourselves in the process. At that time you won't ever have to worried about murder anymore. Some pray to god to help us. First we should help ourselves; we've been praying to god for centuries and I don't think he's any big hurry to help us. So we should help ourselves be better humans for the future of all humans. Religion has many good ideas, to bad no one follows through with good things whether they really true or not. It's really very sad what happens to our fellow humans during times like these. May all who suffered this great tragedy gain strength, wisdom and happiness for the future. May your family always have peace and love with them every day of their life. Bless each one of you!
Did the Westboro Baptist Church attend the funeral?
It would have mentioned it. They never said a word about protesting any of the funerals or the Aurora Memorial Service. If they were planning to picket any of those, we would have heard about it.
I'm actually surprised. To them, these would have been perfect targets.
I've got a gut feeling that good old Fred ain't doing so good and is about to leave this world.
They have been unusually silent on this shootings. On a tragedy of this scale, they always announce a protest, but nothing in this case and I find that odd on their part, I mean.
they put 150" cause thats a low number... it should of been 1000's easily.. i mean come the fu## on.. he injured like 80 people... you telling me those 80 people had no friends or kids? since on average each family should of had 3-5 members show up making it close to a 1000 and plus you got the church, police, and communitity... 150 is a joke...it should of been 10 times more... sad really how the world has come to this...its sad enough i know more funerals where 100's come easily and thats just for the regular stuff... what a joke... and btw why are you posting this? this is just giving holmes more media attention.. got something better to post?
i don't understand what you are talking about casey. this was a private funeral service for one man.
Casey. Please. Lay off the drugs.
Well, they did say it was a private service, so that could account for only 150.
150 close friends, family, work associates, etc seems about right for the Avg Joe. But does it really matter? I'm sure the funeral was private because his family wants its PRIVACY and are still grieving.
RIP Mr. Cowden, and prayers to your wife & kids.
for those complaining of how few people were there the article states it was a private service so it was probaly just family and close friends. I think the family would rather have our condolences then people making an issue of how many people were there-get real and feel some compassion for this mans family.
may you rest in peace. A prowder man, who loved his children! your life will not be forgotten.
Seriously can the media not just leave these people alone.Disgusting to even run a story on the funeral,leave these people be let them bury their loved ones in peace.
Wow, you really do live up to your handle.
Did it ever occur to you, that a reporter can do their job by just being a silent observer? They could easily attend and cover the funeral without bothering any of the family members.
Besides that, having such an article printed in the papers can also help give the community as a whole some measure of closure, especially for those people who knew the deceased, but were unable to attend.
Not every interaction of the press involves a mob of paparazzi stuffing microphones in people's faces, despite what you may have been led to believe.
critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
this is soo sad cuz theses people only wanted to c a movie that is it not to get shot up r.i.p everyone that passed and getb well to everyone that is still in the hosptail
God will bless and keep your family Mr. Cowden you were and will always be a hero to your children and the rest of us. Rest in the arms of Jesus and he will comfort your family.
It is sad that some people have to go this way, and I always wonder why this happens to some people and why is that some of us have to go this way?
I would actually like to comment on the fact that he brought his teenagers to the opening of the movie. Such a great dad, one that he was willing to do that, two that his teenagers were willing to be there with him. So sad it ended this way.
His poor teenaged children - I could not imagine loosing my father that way. RIP from Seattle.
Can the Media not leave these people alone to grieve in peace and stop with the NRA rhetoric, enough is enough, it was an isolated incident of grand proportion perpetrated by a lunatic. People need to get their heads out the sand and pay attention to their surroundings and look for things out of the ordinary, all military families are taught to do this, so should everyone.
My heart and sympathy goes out to the family of this man, especially his teenage children with him that night.
I wish there were more harsh, more instant punishment on these people that think it is a thrill to hurt and ruin others lives. It believe if our punishment here in the US fit the crime we would have a lot less of this and other heinous crimes.
And just where were the Politicians during the funeral? Who attended the funerals, without politicizing the event? I for one, feel a grate sense of sorrow for all that lost their lives during this incident, and my condolences to the surviving members of their families, friends, & relatives. The guilty party in this tragedy, deserves a speedy trial, and speedy public death! Hell, we can't even put to death the terrorists of 911! Sad times we live in now! [:-(]
Gordon gave the world a family of talented and caring daughters, one of whom was a former student of mine. Sadly, the good still die young.
So sad that this man and the others died in this ambush. RIP Gordon.
Rest in Peace Mr. Cowden.
Gordon Cowden who never existed was burried today. This was a staged, fake event. Question everything.