Community gathers to remember centuries-old white oak
Residents gathered Sunday evening to remember a nearly 400-year-old white oak that fell several weeks ago, sharing personal stories, music, and reflections at the site where the tree once stood.
Known affectionately as “Codger Tree,” the oak had become a familiar landmark and a source of comfort for visitors. One speaker described the tree as a close friend, recalling how she greeted it during daily walks and saying it remained “standing tall” in her memory.
The ceremony’s musical centerpiece was an original song by Jenny Morgan, written in tribute to the oak. Morgan invited those gathered to join in the chorus as she thanked the tree for its shade, its long life, and the generations of people and wildlife it had sheltered.
The song reflected the tone of the evening: part farewell, part celebration of a tree that had witnessed centuries of change.
Among those who spoke was a woman who had recently visited the oak with her father. She recalled walking through the cemetery with him on April 6, when he noticed the tree’s size and age, as well as a plaque recognizing its 1992 Grand Champion Award.
Although she had passed the oak many times before, she said that walking with her father caused her to see it differently.
“How thankful I am that we had those father-daughter moments to gaze at its size and appreciate the hundreds of years that it has seen,” she said.
She recorded a video of the tree that day, not knowing it would fall only weeks later. Her remembrance expanded into a reflection on aging, loss, faith, and the ways people honor those they love after they are gone.
Organizers also announced that the site will continue to commemorate the historic oak. The ground will be seeded with grass, and a new white oak is expected to be planted there in the fall. The existing plaque and stone will also be reset near the replacement tree.
As the ceremony ended, attendees were encouraged to remember the remarkable trees in their own lives and to offer a personal farewell to Codger Tree.
“We are privileged to have been here on this earth with Codger Tree,” one speaker said.
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