Ronan trees carrying important hearts

RONAN — This Valentine’s Day, community members in Ronan are taking their hearts off their sleeves and putting them on trees, in order to remember local military loved ones.

Driving down Main Street, you will still see Christmas trees lining the street. And on those Christmas trees, should you spot them, you will also see a slew of red hearts.

Each red heart has a name of a local military service personnel member. If you look long enough, you will probably find someone you know.

Charlene Crenshaw was walking down Main Street last week when she spotted her son Collin’s name on one of the hearts.

“I just happened to see it,” Crenshaw said. Collin, 27, is an active duty diesel mechanic in the Army.

Military mother Anna Marie Leafty was not aware of the tribute to local service members along Main Street. Three of her six children serve in the military. Joshua, 21, is an Army reservist; Marie, 20, is a military police officer in the Army; and Joseph, 18, has just signed with the Army as a reservist and has begun his weekend drills.

“I’m honored that they’re willing to serve,” Leafty said.

Like many military families, the Leaftys and Crenshaws have a long history of service to our country. Leafty said she has a whole “wall of honor” in her home, showcasing generations of family members in military attire - snapshots of courage.

Crenshaw, and several members of her family, have also made our country’s livelihood a top priority in their lives. Crenshaw is an Army reservist human resource specialist, her husband an Army retiree, and two of her other children serve in the military.

“I see a lot of support from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, family, friends and churches,” Crenshaw said, adding that her children love to get letters and packages.

Ronna Walchuk, who works on the Ronan Beautification Committee, said the local VFW gave her a list of military service members, but since the hearts’ initial hanging more hearts have appeared. Anyone who wishes to add a military loved one’s name to a tree can obtain a heart from Walchuk at the Flowermill on Main Street, or make their own.

This is the first year of the remembrance trees in Ronan. If you know someone you want to commemorate, by putting your heart on a tree — don’t wait. The trees, and all their red-hearted glory, are coming down after the Feb. 14 holiday.