Colleen O’Connell would’ve turned 32 on Tuesday, June 15. But four years ago, her life was cut tragically short. She left behind a grieving family, including a 14-year-old daughter, Ashley.
“I still can’t believe she’s gone,” said O’Connell’s grandmother Edith Searle. “I find myself waiting for her to come back, from a trip or something.”
Searle and her family have learned to cope with their loss in many different ways. Recently, Searle’s daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Jay Keeley, purchased a weeping cherry tree as part of the newly created Memory Garden at Advanced Living Communities, where Searle has been a resident for the past 18 years.
“We felt that it was a fitting tribute to someone as beautiful as Colleen,” said Searle. “Seeing the tree every day brings back bittersweet emotions; but that’s part of the healing process, I guess. I am glad so many other people get to benefit from it was well.”
The Memory Garden was created for residents and their family members to honor their loved ones in a tangible way.
“Something green and growing like a tree can help keep a memory alive,” said Steven Hunsberger, Vice President of Philanthropy for Advanced Living Communities. “The Memory Garden is a great way for our residents and their families to honor the past while investing in the future.”
So far, five trees have been planted on Advanced Living’s Allentown Road campus in Lansdale. Residents are able to request specific placement so they can enjoy their tree from their apartment windows. A plaque with the honoree’s name is placed next to the tree. Additional proceeds from the Memory Garden program benefit Advanced Living residents in need through the organization’s Benevolent Care Fund.
“We’ve raised about $500 in the first nine months,” said Hunsberger. Advanced Living plans to continue developing the Memory Garden throughout the fall, adding birdhouses to further beautify the grounds.
“I’m glad we were able to take part in the Memory Garden,” said Searle. “Colleen’s body may no longer be alive, but her memory lives on in that tree.”