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D

uring the last month of the year, a tree goes up in Lou Mac Park. Lights and handmade ornaments decorate the tree. Made to resemble candles, each ornament has a name and a red or green bow. Red honors the living, green is in memory of the dead.

It is the Tree of Names and Lights, an Oriental tradition. Anyone can get a loved ones’ name – two or four legged – added to the tree for a donation of $5. Every year, a different organization or charity receives the money.

In 2021, it was Hospice of Pamlico County. This year’s tree raised $1,045 for the charity.

The 2020 Tree of Names & Lights in Lou Mac Park.

Grace Evans, organizer and co-creator of the candle ornaments, and tree decorator in chief passed away in 2021. Her daughter Meta Jones took on the responsibility for the 2020-2021 Tree of Names and Lights.

“I just wanted to say how grateful I am to be able to carry on this tradition of the Tree of Names and Lights that was started by my mother. I have learned much through this year’s dedication and about just how many caring people there are ‘out there’. I received requests of donations from all over the County and even Canada and India.

Some wrote beautiful cards, some just wrote their requests and a Thank You. Some sent wonderful words of memory of my mother and just what all she truly did which I am all so aware of more and more. All from this wonderful website called TownDock. I wanted to share with you something that I realized from doing this: You can take the Person out of Oriental but you can’t take Oriental out of the person.

So many good people willing to help and do what they can. In closing, I will speak Rosa Caruso’s words and say, “Go well.”

Until next Christmas season. My best regards, care and love! Be well. Be happy.

Meta M. Jones”

Ornaments not collected from the tree by friends and family are kept until the coming year.

These are the names on this year’s tree. Pets are in quotes. Numbers indicate more than one person requested the name:

IN HONOR 2021

Oriental Tree Board
PAWS
Hospice of Pamlico County
Oriental Women’s Club
David and Molly Proctor
Larry and Joan Gracie
Dr. Dorothy Diamond
Dr. Clark Diamond
William Creel
Rev. Dr. Anne Sims
Meta and Henry Jones
Missy Tenhet
Marsha Paplham
Asa and Dixie Gatlin
Hope Clinic
Virginia Berger
Doug Carmichael
Lynn and Larry Dechesser
Beth and Jim Privette
Carolyn and Joyce Engel
Kim and Larry Langson
Rotary Club Oriental
Keith and Crew Town Dock
Habitat for Humanity Pamlico County
Billy Flockhart
Mary Maxwell
Nancy Hart
Gracie Knowles
Lynn Rio
Michelle Fodrey
Dottie and Dick Osmun
Anne and Ben Sims
Bettie and Darrell Gibbs
Faye and Jackie Mason
Chris Doty and Ken Mason
Billy Flockhart
Delcine Gibbs
Diane Miller
Keith Smith and Melinda Penkava
Ray Ruppert
Tony Santore
Eliz Valassis
Eric Kindle
Ed and Phyllis Yodlowski
Hugh Midyette
Bill Wichrowski
Lori Wagoner
Bill and Lynn Hines
Susan Koepp
Heather Deck
Homer Walden
“Hailey” Jones
Linda and Tom Caroon
Trish Mead
Carl and Donna Crothers
Al Spruill
Catherine Baxley
Karen Prince
Dawn and Walter Hoyle
“Cowboy”
Dennis Delamar
Frank Roe
Terry Spaulding

IN MEMORY

Rick Smith (2)
Judi Heit
Ted Mead
Richard J. Flaherty
Al Boudreault
Dan O’Neill
Jim Fontaine
Grace Evans (6)
Edward Watts
Roxanne Bond
Chris Weedy
Betty Mc Kaig
Mary Hargrove Downing
Rosalie Stevenson
Sid Scott
“Scuppers”
Ethan Pavley
Davida Swisher
Alice McIlree
Helen Morales
David Morales
Barbara Wieland
Betty Hancock
Geneva Barnett
“Tillman” White
Dean Simms
Eddie Kaplan
Libby and Ned Delamar
Annis Lupton Gwaltney
Jim Paplham
Jim Pfahter
“Doc”
“Yoda”
“Scuppers”
“Leo”
“KitKat”
Bill Creel
Ray Creech
Edward Vanchok Sr.
John Liskowacki
Eileen C. Price
Nicholas Campbell
Howard Schnerrbusch
Zachariah Cregar
Gerald Swinn
Louise Swinn
Charles Heath
Barbara Heath
Bob Andrews
Rosa Caruso
“Charlie Dog”
“Daisy Dog”
Marty Fenton
Tricia Keegan
Nancy Miller
Kay Polo
Joe Wakefield
Les Evans
Elizabeth Gran Evans
Dr. Leslie Evans
C. W. Hodges
Elizabeth Hodges
Christopher Griffin
“Al Jr.” Griffin
Roy E. C. Day
Oralia V. Day
Ted Mead
Nol Engel
Joe Wakefield
Ed Bilecki
Chuck Beattie
Jackie and Lacy Stallings
Bill Boone
Sam Myers Sr.
Chief Bob Miller
Basil Fawlty Myers
Charles Fetzer
Todd Willis
Colonel and Mrs. Harry Wynne
Raleigh Wynne
“Minnesott” Michael
Bill Jones
Karyn Hall
Dan L. Giro (2)
Brandon Alan Raper
“Keiko”
Rev. William Sabiston
Peggy Sabiston
Simmons Patrick
Joseph McGovern
Jerry McGovern
Verna McGovern
Dianne Magrisi
Theresa Randall
William Graf
June Graf
William E. Graf
Ernest Breuther
John Turner
Dorothy Turner
Daughter Kelly Vickers Cohen
Wally Chapin
Mildred Nowell
Tom Nowell
G.M. Anderson
R.M. Kaufman
T.B. Kaufman
J.D. Jorgensen
Julie Craig Brinson
George Brinson
“Hailey” Jones
Roger Hammer
Dick Lilley
John Bloom
Wilma Snider
Ronald Gillikin
Julie Craig Brinson
Bobby McIntosh

Related Links

• In Honor & Memory 2020
• In Honor & Memory 2019; The Tree of Names and Lights

Posted Monday January 17, 2022 by Allison DeWeese