Tree of Life Members
When you enter the dining room at the Lodge, you will see a large tree painted on the wall, covered in very colorful leaves, with names on those leaves. This tree is called “The Tree of Life Members”.
The tree was created to recognize those members who are Life Members, members who have been with the Elks for 30 or more years. Some members have been with the Lodge for over 50 years! These members have shown their dedication and love of the Elks for a very long time, but we had no place to thank these members or display who these members are.
Terree Michel, now PER, was attending the Elks National Conference in Tampa, FL in 2021, where she visited a Lodge in the area and noticed a tree that was painted on the wall. When inquired what the tree represented, she was told it displayed the Past Exalted Rulers who had passed away. This sparked an idea. What if a tree like that could display all the Life Members of our Lodge? The Lodge membership is over 900, and 1/3 of those members are Life Members. So the process began. The tree was painted, and the leaves were added. If you look around the dining room, you will see several very large plaques hanging on the walls, these plaques display all the members who have passed away. The Lodge holds a memorial service the first Sunday in December to honor those members who have passed. This tree displays the life members and is a way to thank them when they are still with us for being dedicated members. When a life member does pass away, their leaf is moved to the bottom of the tree, and when the Memorial Service is held in December, their leaves are removed, and their name plate is added to the deceased member board. Each new Lodge year, more leaves are added to the tree of those members who have become life members.
