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Friends mourn St. Thomas student killed in blaze
The funeral for 20-year-old Michael Larson will be held on the school's campus, where his pals remembered him as a lover of sports and lazy Sundays.
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Friends are remembering St. Thomas student Michael Larson as a fun-loving friend who was always up for hanging out or attending sports events.
St. Thomas University students resumed classes Monday with the start of finals week, two days after Larson died in a fire at a house he rented with three friends at 1795 Selby Av. School officials are working with Larson's family to plan his on-campus funeral, scheduled for Friday. Details are still being worked out.
"We are all mourning for Michael Larson," said Jane Canney, vice president of student affairs at St. Thomas. "He was so well-loved. It's also during finals time, and it's a challenging time for students."
St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said Monday that the cause of the fire is still under investigation. It apparently began Saturday in the enclosed porch and engulfed the house, forcing three people to jump out of second-story windows. The fire was reported about 3 a.m. Zaccard has said that arson is not suspected, and that the smoke detectors were working.
Larson was the lone fatality and was found on the first floor near the couch where he had gone to sleep. The Ramsey County medical examiner's office said an exact cause of death could be determined in the next day or two.
Friend and roommate Cameron Cochran, who was home at the time, described the 20-year-old from Woodbury as "a guy you could never find in a bad mood." Larson, whom friends called by the nickname "Carson," loved sports. For his 20th birthday this summer, Larson and some friends played a game of pick-up baseball at a nearby park.
"We hadn't done that since we were 14," Cochran said.
Larson, a sophomore, had just decided to major in mass communications with the goal of becoming a sports writer, Cochran said.
Jahi Bernard first met Larson when both were freshmen. They shared a dorm room and then moved into the house on Selby.
"Carson loved to celebrate National Relaxation Day," Bernard said jokingly, noting Larson's love for TV sports and lazy Sundays. "Apparently, it's a national holiday, and he loved to celebrate it."
St. Thomas is working to help Larson's roommates find temporary housing, work out their finals schedules and meet other needs, Canney said. A bookstore loaned the roommates books that were lost in the fire, the school will buy their books next semester and a student group gathered clothes for them, Canney said.
The school also is working out plans to collect contributions to help the roommates and Larson's family, she said.
"This has really fractured many, many students and faculty who knew him and loved him dearly," she said.
Chao Xiong • 612-270-4708
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This is how they should have written the first article on this story. Condolences to the family and friends of Michael.
posted by jrock612 on Dec 13, 10 at 9:28 pm |
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One block from our house .... in the middle of the blizzard ... now it is all ice and charred house ...
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