Woman behind secret Central Park pet memorial tree on mission to return mementos to rightful owners
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A secret memorial tree in New York City dedicated to beloved pets who have died had to be cut down - and now the woman behind it all is determined to connect the treasures left behind with their rightful owners.
In the basement of a building on the Upper East Side, Marianne Larsen takes stock of her unusual treasures from people around the world.
"A lot don't have names on them but I've written down descriptions, you know... yellow lab with red bow in front of tree," Larsen said.
She is the keeper of the "Furever Tree" in Central Park, a touching memorial to pets who have crossed the rainbow bridge.
For decades during the holiday season, people would place sweet keepsakes on the Evergreen-- its exact location in the park was a loosely kept secret.
In late January each year, Larsen would remove, fix, catalog and store all of the mementos -- more than 3,300 items.
"I'm like, oh yeah, I remember Lumpy, he's one of my favorites and it's like I don't know, it's like seeing old friends... it's sentimental and it's joyful," she said.
But last winter things took a turn for the worse when the tree began dying. The Central Park Conservancy says it was due to environmental stress and wear on the landscape.
Earlier this month, crews had no choice but to cut it down.
Larsen ended up with all of the mementos, which she's determined to return to those who placed them on the tree.
"I'm hoping that when I go back up at the regular season, because a lot of people don't know about this yet, I will be there with my list, not the boxes...hopefully people will say, I'd like to have them back," Larsen said.
If you left a keepsake at the "Furever Tree," contact Larsen via email: Mglarsen55@gmail.com.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
