Community Corner

Westerly Residents Say Good-Bye to an Old Friend

In a special ceremony at the senior living complex on Thursday, residents gathered to pay their respects to a 75-year-old beech tree.

Dozens of residents of the Westerly turned out to say farewell to a 75-year-old beach tree in front of the senior housing complex on Thursday afternoon.

In a special ceremony — that included songs as well as a poem read by Lakewood poet laureate Bill Knittel — residents gathered to pay their respects to the tree.

The dying tree has been damaged in recent years. Large chunks are missing near the base, clearly visible from Detroit Avenue. The bark is disintegrating.

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“Sometime we don’t miss things until they’re gone,” said Curt Brosky, the director of the Westerly. “I know many of us walk by this tree and don’t even see it.”

“I would ask that all of us don’t take our friends and our neighbors for granted, because someday they’re not going to be here anymore.”

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The tree is expected to come down in the coming days.


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