Struthers says goodbye to 200-year-old tree
STRUTHERS— A 200-year-old tree’s life came to an end this week, with residents of Struthers gathering to say their last goodbyes.
Georgianna Ross said the white oak tree in her backyard has provided shade for her and her neighbors. But in the past three years, the limbs have been looking so dry and brittle that she knew something was wrong. After tree experts confirmed that the tree was dead, she had no other choice but to chop it down.
“It breaks my heart to do it,” she said.
‘Georgie’ as her friends call her, has been living in Struthers since 1992. For the past 15 years, she has taken care of the 80-foot-tall tree. She said in the summer she loved it because it provided shade from the sun but in the fall she had to rake it at least three times because there were so many leaves.
As the tree was being chopped down, the neighbors heard a loud thump and headed over to the Ross residence.
Dorothy Snovak has been living in the area for 40 years and remembers all the people who lived in that house. She said her son used the tree as part of a school assignment.
“I never thought I would see a tree that old,” Snovak said.