A Remembrance Tree Glows in Rockaway
By Katie McFadden
For many, the holidays are a time to gather with loved ones. But some loved ones may be missing from the dinner table, as they’re no longer with us. However, thanks to Suzanne Campbell O’Rahilly and neighbors coming together, loved ones can be memorialized this holiday season, on a shell, decorating a Remembrance Tree on Rockaway Beach.
If you’re missing your loved one, write their name on a shell, decorate it how you wish, and head to Beach 106th Street to hang it on a branch on the Remembrance Tree in the sand in front of the concession. If you don’t have a shell on hand, there’s a box of them waiting for you to write your loved one’s name on and hang on the tree or in the sand around the tree.
Campbell O’Rahilly was inspired by similar trees in Long Beach Island in New Jersey. “I absolutely loved it, especially when I saw the joy and peace it brought,” she said. After all, she knows firsthand what it means to lose someone, as do many of those around her. “The one thing we all have in common is that we have all lost someone. My boyfriend lost his son, I lost my mom, my friend lost her husband, another lost her best friend, a neighbor lost her child, another lost both parents and a year later a brother, another lost their dog. I can go on and on. The holidays are an especially hard time of the year when you’ve lost someone. Hopefully the tree will make it a little easier on all. The Remembrance Tree is a nondenominational tree and is meant for everyone to remember the happy times in light of our loss. By making a shell for your loved one you are remembering them and sharing with your neighbors and community.”
Making the idea behind the tree even more special is the way it came together, in true Rockaway fashion. On Saturday, November 23, Campbell O’Rahilly shared the idea on local Facebook group, Friends of Rockaway Beach, and said she was in search of a tree. Shortly after it was posted, Dorothy Wagner of music duo Aerial Acoustics, made a comment that was music to her ears—”I have a huge 9 ft artificial tree to donate!” Next, Campbell O’Rahilly asked if anyone had solar lights, bungee cords, a starfish tree topper and some extra hands to help set up the tree on Saturday, November 30. Alice Ott commented that she had a starfish topper. Margie Homsey Daly offered up solar lights to wrap around the tree, so it lights up as soon as the sun goes down. Joe O’Brien offered solar spotlights to keep the area around the tree well lit. Patrick Conners and his wife supplied the bungee cords and sand decorations. Cailin Close donated a beach umbrella anchor to help keep the tree stable. Campbell O’Rahilly’s friend Colleen supplied a poem by an unknown author, in memory of her mom, that could resonate with anyone who has lost a loved one, to be posted next to the tree. And on November 30, Ott met up with Campbell O’Rahilly to help install the tree on Beach 106th Street, right off of the boardwalk, so it’s easily accessible and visible to all who pass by.
“The tree is not my tree— it’s the community’s tree. The tree belongs to everyone,” Campbell O’Rahilly said. On how quickly everything came together and the eagerness of neighbors to step up and supply what was needed, Campbell O’Rahilly said, “It says Rockaway strong.” And she hopes the tree will be a source of strength for those dealing with their own loss. “It is my hope the tree will bring some joy and solace to all,” she said.
To help protect the tree and those placing shells, it is surrounded by metal fencing. To make it easier on some to add a shell, Campbell O’Rahilly has left a basket of shells near the tree for those who can’t walk along the beach to find one to use, but she encourages others to leave extra shells in the basket if they can. People are welcome to buy special shells or get creative, but Campbell O’Rahilly reminds folks that the tree and the shells will be subject to the weather and won’t have constant eyes on it. She also requests that people don’t move or remove other people’s memorial shells.
As long as the elements permit, Campbell O’Rahilly says folks are welcome to hang their memorial shells on the tree through early January. “Our loved ones are gone but our memories will never be forgotten, and nor will their memories that we shared. Their memories are lights that will shine bright forever. I hope you will leave a shell (s) at the Remembrance Tree for your loved ones.”
After setting up the tree on Saturday, Campbell O’Rahilly posted a video on Friends of Rockaway Beach, showing the finished product, as the tree twinkled in the night, illuminating the names of loved ones that have been added so far.
