Greg Zanis, who made crosses for the victims of Columbine, Aurora and other mass violence, has died – The Denver Post

Greg Zanis, known to many as the “Cross Man,” died Monday after spending 23 years building wooden crosses for thousands of mass-shooting victims across the United States, including the 13 victims killed in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. He was 69.

“Greg Zanis was a giant among men. He was a man of action who simply wanted to honor the lives of others. In return, his life was one of honor and one that was celebrated throughout our nation and world,” Aurora, Ill., Mayor Richard C. Irvin wrote on the city’s website Monday. “His legacy shall forever be remembered in Aurora and around the globe.”

Zanis died of cancer a few days after a drive-by parade of cars in front of his home to commemorate his work, according news accounts and Irvin’s office.

Zanis began building crosses in 1997 after seeing his father-in-law and best friend gunned down in his hometown of Aurora, Ill., according to a Denver Post article shortly after the April 20, 1999, Columbine killings.

“I’m just a carpenter. I thought it would be a fitting tribute,” he told the Post reporter at the time. “I’m willing to make crosses for anybody, anytime. It’s just nice to be asked to do something like this.”

Frank DeAngelis, former longtime Columbine High School principal, never met Zanis, but he has vivid memories of the crosses that were placed atop Rebel Hill in Robert F. Clement Park adjacent to the school.

“I remember the crosses. Clement Park turned into a makeshift memorial. It meant so much,” DeAngelis said Monday.

Zanis drove halfway across the country to place his crosses in the park as part of a Columbine memorial.

“There were so many people reaching out,” DeAngelis said.

Zanis returned to Colorado in 2012 with crosses for the 12 people killed in the Aurora theater shooting.

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