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A Square of Stories: Lights of Love illuminate lives remembered
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WASHINGTON — The first real snowfall of the season canceled Washington’s official holiday lighting ceremony, but downtown’s Lights of Love trees still glow in Central Park like steady beacons of memory, hope and generosity.
Since 2017, Main Street Washington has invited residents to honor and remember loved ones with lighted Christmas trees trimmed in white bulbs and red bows. Donors decorate five-foot fresh-cut trees through New Year’s, turning the park into a field of names, stories and tributes.
This year set a record with 120 trees, and their displays tell the city’s stories just as loudly as any parade could.
On one tree, photos and purple ribbons remember Thresa Ives Kuntz, who passed away this summer after a battle with cancer. Another honors five-year-old Daxton Long Hilliker, its tiny firetrucks reflecting a child’s joy. Nearby, fishing lures hang among snapshots of Roger Adam, recalling long days at the lake with family.
Some trees speak in handmade detail — like the trees for Dale and Robert Marek, wrapped in a garland listing the names of late family members. Cousins Sherry Marek and Fran McVeigh decorated those trees just this week, their dog Nala watching as they worked in the cold.
They have decorated for more than five seasons. Marek said their family’s story stretches across generations — two brothers who married two sisters, and a family that continues to show up for one another.
Over the years, Marek and McVeigh have watched the project grow. The themes have multiplied too — Hawkeye colors, fishing poles, Coca-Cola signs, photographs, Scripture and school pride.
“It’s been fun to watch more theme-oriented ones pop up,” McVeigh said.
The cousins pointed out two trees decked in Washington High School Demon colors for student Carson Ryan, who died just before homecoming this year. The branches displayed bracelets sharing the Gospel — a message many say mattered deeply to Carson.
Even in their grief, other trees offer generosity.
Two side-by-side trees remember Katie, Ray and Mark Kendall, clipped with small gifts sealed in plastic bags and invitations from “Mr. and Mrs. C” encouraging children to take one. Their display echoes the Kendalls’ legacy. When Mark Kendall died in 2021, the family asked friends to donate backpacks, school supplies and food rather than flowers.
His obituary described a man who “preferred to work behind the scenes, demonstrating through actions his commitment to helping others. He was an organ and tissue donor. A private and humble man who frequently preferred anonymous support, he changed many people's lives with his compassionate guidance.”
Even in summer, the Kendall name surfaced at the farmers market, also held in Washington’s square, where a week of book giveaways carried their memory. Here in winter, the family’s trees embody a philosophy of take something if you need it, share something if you can.
Each story rises from the snow-covered grass, carrying more than memory — carrying identity. Main Street Washington says the Lights of Love program not only honors loved ones but provides funds for downtown revitalization. Donors purchase the trees for $125 and are encouraged to decorate them personally, with shatterproof ornaments recommended against the Iowa wind.
Snow may have silenced the fanfare, but in the park, the lights still flicker for the people remembered, for those who hung their stories among the branches, and for those who come to read them. Here, memory glows bright even without a ceremony.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
