The Norwegian Frozen Dead Guy

[W. Gray]

From time to time, I have wondered if the Elk County Forum administrator & company are aware of this individual.

I put this summary together since he has become a cause for celebration in the state of Colorado.

Nederland, Colorado, population 1,340, is a mountain town 45 miles northwest of Denver. It is home to Grandpa Bredo Morstoel, famous in these parts as the frozen dead guy.

Grandpa Morstoel was born in Isfjorden, Norway on February 28, 1900. He married Anna in 1920 and the couple had two children. One child was a daughter. Daughter later gave birth to a grandson, who seems to have become an eccentric sort.

Grandpa seems to have had a successful life. For thirty years, he was director of the parks and recreation department in Baerum County, Norway, retiring in 1967. After retirement, he enjoyed skiing, hiking, fishing, and painting.

In 1975, grandpa had his first heart attack. Fortunately, his daughter performed CPR saving his life. Unfortunately, fourteen years later in November 1989 he died of heart failure at the family's Norwegian mountain retreat. He lay down to take a nap and never woke up.

Grandpa's grandson looks the hippie type, takes direction from no one, and seems to loath authority. He does believe in cryonics. Cryonics uses extremely cold temperatures to preserve a person until a future date when science can figure out how to revive that person.

Grandson gave the undertaker instructions to pack the body in dry ice and ship it from Norway to California to the frozen works in Oakland. Some might recall that baseball hero Ted Williams is in a similar place. The Oakland company placed the body in a steel coffin and lowered the body to a temperature much lower than dry ice can provide.

Earlier, in 1980, grandson had decided to move to Nederland, Colorado, because he wanted to get away from a possible nuclear war. He felt Colorado was safer. Eventually, he brought his mother. They bought some land in the city and began building a bombproof shelter from concrete. Unfortunately, the dream house had no electricity or water but both kept working to make it otherwise livable.

In December 1993, daughter and grandson installed a flimsy metal shed on their property. They wanted Grandpa closer so without telling anyone they moved the body from Oakland to a more or less permanent resting place in Nederland. Generous amounts of dry ice went into the shed and around the metal coffin to keep Grandpa frozen.

Grandpa was no stranger to Colorado. He visited his grandson in 1982.

Grandson was not exactly a model citizen. He did found the Boulder Polar Bear Club in which the 350 members take a cold swim in local lakes on New Year's Day each year. However, in 1986 police arrested the foot long whiskered man for threatening to hijack a commercial airplane. In 1988, police arrested him for trespassing at the University of Colorado president's home.

At some point, high winds hit Nederland and played havoc with the metal shed. Grandpa was okay but the shed needed a multitude of different screws and fasteners to keep it together.

Grandson brought several "frivolous" lawsuits in court against authorities. The state of Colorado and federal authorities began tiring of him and in 1994; he got the boot because of an expired VISA. He fought a losing action but eventually had to leave.

This left his mother to care for Grandpa. Shortly after that, authorities booted mom from the unsanitary bombproof house having no water or electricity. They then sent her back to Norway because of an expired VISA.

Unfortunately, there was no one to take care of Grandpa's needs. Grandson, from his new home in Norway, came to the rescue hiring a local person to look after the old man.

After daughter left, the City of Nederland became aware of the shed and city leaders were appalled. They immediately set out to pass an ordinance against having dead people in sheds. Grandpa, though, was getting the care he needed. So, they grandfathered him--so to speak.

By this time, people are coming out of the woodwork to help. The local Tuff Shed Company donated a new durable shed made of wood. The man looking after Grandpa makes monthly trips to Denver to get around a ton of dry ice. Grandson sends $700 a month for the dry ice and other maintenance at his property.

In 2002, someone came up with the idea that an annual Frozen Dead Guy Festival would draw tourists and make some money to help with Grandpa's expenses.

The seventh annual festival was held in Nederland in March 2008. There are Coffin races, a slow motion parade, and a Frozen Dead Guy lookalike contest. There is also a dance called "Grandpa's Blue Ball."

Two documentary films titled "Grandpa's in the Tuff Shed" and "Grandpa's Still in the Tuff Shed" have been released.

[Bonnie M.]

I'll have to admit, I'd never heard of the "frozen dead guy!"

[Diane Amberg]

I kept waiting for the punny punch line.   I wonder why he thought Colorado, home of Cheyenne Mountain, would be safe from nuclear attack?

[W. Gray]

That is a good question that only the grandson can answer.

I wondered what so appealing, also, especially after he builds a bombproof home after he gets here. When I was working at the now closed Lowry AFB in Denver, were were supposed to head to the mountains if the balloon went up.

By the way, Cheyenne Mountain was closed down and now has only a skeletal staff.

The Air Force determined the facility was too old, too out of date for modernization, and cost to much to operate.

Operations were moved to a command center at Peterson AFB which is a short jaunt away in Colorado Springs.

[twirldoggy]

How very strage !

[Janet Harrington]

This story is not only strange, but weird as heck.

[Rudy Taylor]

I thought "The Frozen Dead" was a rock group from the 80's.

[Diane Amberg]

 

[Warph]

LOL..... great story!!