A memorial years in the making was unveiled to the public on Tuesday afternoon. The Eberle-Walden Crime Victims Memorial stands as both a reminder of the lives of Danny Joe Eberle and Christopher Walden and in support of all victims of crime. Both boys were abducted and brutally murdered 40 years ago in the fall and winter of 1983.
Lisa Summers, a member of the Leadership Sarpy group that coordinated the efforts to make the memorial a reality, said, “Each leadership group is tasked with creating a legacy project. This is a longtime dream of Sheriff Jeff Davis and we chose to take it on and see it through.”
Summers said that members of the Eberle and Walden families are aware of the memorial but were unable to attend the ceremony.
The memorial is located just inside the east entrance of the Sarpy County Administration building, 1210 Golden Gate Boulevard in Papillion. The building is open from 8am to 4:45pm Monday through Friday.
Artist Joe Putjenter created the memorial. Putjenter has designed work all over the area and in Lincoln at Memorial Stadium. His most well-known design is probably the Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers trophy. Putjenter is a graduate of Westside High School and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He owns Artistic Sign & Design in Omaha.
Donors to the memorial include Edward Brazeal, Jeff and Mary Davis, Randy Fleming, Tom and Mary Hansen, Alex Hayes, Patrick Kelly, Greg London, Lee and Terry Polikov, Curtis and Karen Rainge, Kevin and Mary Riley, Patrick and Kathy Sullivan, Randy Sump, Michael and Kim Williams, Russell Zeeb, 36th & cornhusker Storage LLC, BAT Logistics, Flemming Family Foundation, Great Plains Realty and Auction Company, Industrial Social Hall Inc, JE Dunn Construction Co Charitable Foundation, Midlands Community Foundation, and the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Foundation.
