Tree of Life
Lights are lit on the Tree of Life as names of lost loved ones are called out. Photo by Kootenai Valley Record.
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Tree of Life honors lost loved ones
by Kootenai Valley Record
December 3, 2010
Loved ones lost will be remembered at St. John’s Hospice’s 22nd annual Tree of Life ceremony, scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, at the Memorial Center.
For a donation of $10 or more, St. John’s Hospice sends a tree ornament commemorating the year to the person or persons the donor designates. Along with the ornament, the designee receives an invitation to the Tree of Life, informing them that their loved one’s name will be called and a light lit on the tree that night.
"I’ve been reading names and printing up the lists at Tree of Life since 2001, and I began to notice how many names were becoming familiar," said hospice social worker and volunteer coordinator Laura Sedler. "We have records of the names read since 1989, and some of our volunteers did some research and discovered quite a few names that have been called most of the last 21 years."
"The Hospice Tree of Life was started the year before my husband passed away, though I was marginally aware of it," said Abbe Heemeir. "The following year, Roger had died only a little more than a month before the ceremony was held at Timberline Auto, and there were numerous gifts in his honor. I remember the lighting of each bulb was very emotional for me and most of the attendees. We shared the common ground of losing a loved one, neighbor, mentor, or maybe a patient."
Heemeir said she remembers Ryan Stephens lighting the white bulb as her husband’s name was read.
"Ryan and his family were special friends, and that gave even more meaning to the lighting of that single white bulb. I think each of us wonders if we will be remembered after we have gone and, though we know that God never forgets us and never leaves us, we still have that human desire to be remembered. The Hospice Tree of Life comforts each participant through the years as their heart envelops the memories associated with so many of those who are memorialized."
After 21 years, hearing her husband’s name read still "brings a smile, a clenched throat, a tear, and the knowledge that he will be remembered at least each year at the Tree ceremony," Heemeir said. "It comforts me."
Connie Wood began her family tradition to remember husband Topper, who died in 1983.
"Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of cancer in our family, and every year I make the effort to remember somebody in this way," Wood said. "People really appreciate the gesture, and the ceremony falls just after Topper’s birth date, so it’s a an important part of my holiday traditions"
Tom and Susan Horelick have purchased ornaments for their respective parents every year since 2000.
"Tree of Life ornaments are a wonderful way to remember, from year to year, those friends or family members who are no longer with us to celebrate the holidays," Susan said. "I have purchased many ornaments over the years, for both my family and to give to others to let them know that the life of their family member was special and is being remembered in this symbolic way: an ornament on the tree and a light in memory at the ceremony. Each year as we decorate our Christmas tree, the special Hospice ornaments help to bring back so many treasured memories of the loved ones who are no longer here, but who will remain in our hearts forever."
In addition to the tree lighting ceremony at the Memorial Center on Friday, there will be music, short readings, and refreshments. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, call St. John’s Hospice at 406-293-0180.
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Editor's Note: See the November 30, 2010 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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