July 2, 2004

Statue of Liberty graces Willow Glen lawn
Creates stir among neighbors

Marlene Opray has always wanted a Statue of Liberty and now she has one. It took a long time to find it, but now it graces her front yard with a globe that lights up at night.

Opray recently moved into the house on Koch Lane that has been in her family for more than 45 years. Born in Texas, Opray moved to Willow Glen with her family when she was about 5. “I grew up here, graduated from San Jose High School and my mom and dad were the original owners [of this house]. I later moved right next door. My daughters went to Shallenberger.” She moved back into the house on Mothers’ Day, she said, after her mother died.

She found the 7-foot-tall statue at Sylvestri and Company in Brisbane. “I looked all over for about six months, also checked out eBay and called all over. I went up there and found this aluminum one. They had several others, but they’d already been sold, and this one was perfect.”

Opray mentioned that she really likes statues, she has several others in her front yard along with a windmill to remind her of Texas, “there’s a little bit of the country in me,” she added.

She mentioned that she’s recei-ved “nothing but compliments” since she settled Lady Liberty into her new home. “I’m patriotic, I like it, it fits [in my yard], and I’ve always admired it. I climbed to the top of it once. My mother loved the lion [statue] and loved statuary, that’s why there’s a lion in the front yard,” Opray said.

Currently she’s sprucing up the house, having it painted and redoing some of the landscaping. She plans to have some of the shrubs and trees made to look like bonsai.