Laurence Danielson

Sep. 4, 2024

My brother, Laurence Danielson, died yesterday morning, September 3 in Boulder, Colorado. He was 94 and, to our knowledge, the oldest Zamzam survivor. He was predeceased by his wife, Norma Jean, who had accompanied him to several of our Zamzam reunions. She died in December 2017. He is survived by his three daughters, Laura, Janice and Linda (Chris), and by five grandchildren. He is survived also by his siblings Evelyn, Luella, Wilfred and Lois, and by numerous nieces and nephews. His sister Eleanor Anderson died five years ago.

Laurence was a 10 and 1/2 year-old boy on the Zamzam. As the oldest of six children traveling with their mother to rejoin their dad in Tanganyika, East Africa, he grew up very fast. He is credited with saving the life of his 4 and 1/2 year-old sister Luella after she became trapped underwater beneath other passengers when their damaged lifeboat filled with water and capsized. Laurence saw her struggling and pulled her to safety.

Born to Lutheran missionary parents, Elmer and Lillian Danielson, in central Tanganyika, Laurence spent the first 9 years of his life at remote mission outposts. Because of the Zamzam incident, however, he never returned to the land of his birth, except for a visit in the 1980s together with his wife.

Laurence graduated from Lindsborg High School in Kansas in 1947 and from Bethany College in 1951. He majored in history and excelled in sports--football, basketball and track. After serving as a Second Lieutenant in the Army and being in the thick of battle in the Korean War, he pursued graduate studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He taught and coached for five years in Kansas before settling his family in Boulder where he lived for the rest of this life. In Boulder he left classroom teaching to become a high school administrator and, after retirement, became a tax preparer with H&R Block.

Laurence was an avid bicycle-rider, logging thousands of miles every year. The crisp Colorado mountain air and scenic landscapes were perfect for his cycling passion. He also loved tending to plants and developed a beautiful rock garden in front of their house. He was a faithful and key member of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church as well as of two Optimist Club groups. He was by nature an eternal optimist with an ever-ready smile, so that fit him well.

We grieve the loss of this very good man. We also recognize that his passing greatly diminishes our first-hand account of the Zamzam experience. He had been a keen eye-witness to it all. May peace be with us all.

Lois Carlson