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During the many years the CAMDEN Foundation has been together we've all become like a real family...and many of us are family. Camden, the reason we started the playground is dear to our heart, each and every one of us. This last February 10th, 2012 we lost Camden's Grandfather and one of the initial board members, someone who was an inspiration and believed so much in the playground, Edward Knutson, someone who we all loved, who brought us laughter and worked so hard on the playground during the build. Who made us all laugh during our meetings, and someone we held dear to our hearts. He was husband to our Treasurer, Dorothy; father to our Co-Founder/President, Sherry Kuelz; Sara, Camden's Mother and board member; and Alan, board member; and dear friend to so many, not only on the CAMDEN Board, but everywhere he went, and he'll missed so much.

                                                    

On the afternoon of May 4th, 2012 we dedicated a flowering pear tree donated by the City of Janesville down at CAMDEN Playground, the place Edward so loved, next to "Merlin's Bench," another memorial to a board member, Merlin Nundall, and many of our own members attended, as well as other family members. We released bright yellow balloons, Dad's favorite color, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. Jim Allen, one of our board members, made a special bluebird house for Dad, bright yellow, for the birds Dad so loved, to be placed down there. On this page are pictures of that special day, We hope you enjoy them.

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We were all given the chance to speak, to express what we wished during this time, so a few of us spoke, and the words we shared said so much, and some brought tears to the eyes of those gathered. Dorothy, Sara, Alan Knutson, Sherry Kuelz, Edwards Wife and Kids were present, Camden Hookstead, Scott & Brande Kuelz, Courtney & Colter Knutson all Edward's grandchildren; Duane Georgens, Frank Romanczak, Jim and Ann Allen, Kate Bentheimer, Linda Hanson, and Tom Presny were all present, most of them board members and all of them Edward's friends.

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Jim adding his shovelful of dirt and Dad's BlueBird House made by Jim Allen

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Scott Kuelz, another Grandson, and the sign placed on the tree for the day.

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The balloons as they're released and as they travel skyward. Rain was expected, but Edward wouldn't allow that for this special day.

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And the balloons are still going. If you look close, with the clouds and the balloons on the right, they almost look like there's a smile, maybe it's Edward looking down, that would be like him, always finding something to laugh about.


The balloons could be seen for a very long ways, even beyond what we see here. I took another picture but you can't see the balloons in it.

We, the family, would like to thank Tom Presny and the City of Janesville for the donation of the beautiful flowering Pear tree and the memorial plaque given in our beloved father and husband's name; and Jim Allen for the bright yellow bluebird house he made, the specifics according to world-known bird aficionado, Mark Peterson. Yellow was Edward's favorite color and the bluebird was his favorite bird so these are things which will be shared by everyone who visits the playground, and never forgotten by us, Edward's family and friends.

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