Obituary

Johannes Laursen, former Merrick and Bellmore Life publisher, dies at 98

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Johannes Laursen, former president of the New York Press Association and publisher of four community newspapers on the South Shore, died on Sept. 18, at age 98.

Among the papers under his care were Merrick Life, Bellmore Life, the Freeport-Baldwin Leader and the Wantagh-Seaford Citizen, which the Laursen family sold to Richner Communications Inc. in 2013.

Laursen was born in Ravnstrup, Vendsyssel, Denmark, on Oct. 17, 1915, the second child of dairy manager Laurs Kristian Laursen and Ingeborg Laursen (nee Jensen). He earned an advanced degree in economics from the University of Copenhagen, where he was a resident at Regensen.

He held several government jobs as an economist, and co-authored a book on municipal government with Bjorn Svensson. He later authored a book, “USA Society and Politics,” which was a standard textbook for many years. He took a leave of absence to work at a daily newspaper, Nationaltidende, as an economics reporter, but his major scoop was the Danish government’s decision, shortly after World War II, to replace German-like capital letters for nouns with the more English-like lower case.

Laursen returned to government service as press secretary to Jens Otto Krag, who held several cabinet positions and was later prime minister. While on a tour of the U.S., where he interviewed Walt Disney, among others, he met his future wife, Faith, whom he married in 1950. He then took a position with the Danish Information Office. In 1958, he and his wife purchased Merrick Life, and later owned Bellmore Life, the Wantagh-Seaford Citizen and the Freeport-Baldwin Leader.

He received the Knight of the Dannebrog for his Danish government service, but later became an American citizen. He and his wife dedicated themselves to a life of community service through journalism, and also became active in NYPA. He served on the New York Fair Trial/Free Press Conference and the Audit Bureau of Circulations boards as well, and was president of the Bellmore Chamber of Commerce and an honorary member of Merrick Kiwanis.

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