Memorial placed in Poland woods

By Denise Dick

Family members who remain in the community still visit the forest.

POLAND — Members of the Weaver family wanted to remember their wife and mother with a marker in one of her favorite village spots.

Melvin Weaver Jr., of Poland, and his son, Melvin III of South Carolina, donated about $12,000 for path improvements and a memorial gate in Poland Municipal Forest named for the late Mary Claire Weaver, Melvin Weaver Jr.’s wife and Weaver III’s mother, who died in 2005.

“My son decided to do it,” Weaver Jr. said.

The black steel gate between two stone pillars stands at the entrance to Thacher Trail off Poland Manor Drive. A plaque on one of the pillars proclaims it the Weaver Entrance, “dedicated to the life of Mary Claire ‘Gammy’ Weaver by her family and all those who loved her.”

Mary Claire Weaver spent most of her life in Poland and enjoyed the woods, family members said.

“We used to go ice skating,” said Linda Weaver, one of the Weaver children.

“I liked to go horseback riding,” added Judy Shipsky, another daughter.

Their mother used to love swimming in the creek.

The Weaver children, all of whom remain in Poland except for Melvin III, continue to frequent the woods.

“I bring my dogs down here in the fall probably three to five times a week,” Shipsky said.

Linda Weaver brings her grandchildren for walks in the woods.

Melvin Weaver Jr. believes his wife would be happy with the gate and trail improvements.

“She would love it,” he said. “She used to be down here all the time.”

Bob Zedaker, a member of the forest board, served as project manager for the work.

“We dumped 250 tons of stone along this trail,” he said. “It had all been washed away over the years.”

Allied Waste, which operates a landfill in the township, helped with the stone, Zedaker said.

Brush was cleared to widen the trail before the stone was dumped to cover the once-muddy path.

A split-rail fence erected near the entrance added to the project.

During the work, they uncovered three sandstone boulders with “Thacher Trail” carved into them. The large stones now mark the trail.

Thacher Trail, named for Frank Thacher who lived near the woods, is open to vehicular traffic during the spring bluebell season.

The flower was a favorite of Mary Claire Weaver, her children said. She was a 1948 Poland Seminary High School graduate and attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

The forest spans about 250 acres. The first parcel was a gift to the village from the Butler family in 1935 with the stipulation the woods be maintained as a natural wildlife preserve and bird sanctuary, according to a Web site about the village.