Yearly Tree-Lighting a Glowing Memorial

As more than 700 people gathered around, Tim Wekall plugged in the 2,135 tiny golden lights on the 35-foot Christmas tree outside St. Joseph Hospital on Sunday night, he remembered his mother.

Colleen Wekall, who died of lung cancer in July, was a volunteer in the hospital’s hospice program. The annual tree-lighting ceremony benefits the program and on Sunday raised more than $71,000.

Joining the Wekall family at the ceremony were more than 700 other people, drinking hot cider and singing carols as they held candles in the crisp night air. Most donated $20 to place a light on the tree in memory of a friend of relative.

“It was beautiful, better than ever before,” said Cullene Murphy, a nurse at the hospital’s regional cancer center. She was there in memory of her brother-in-law who died of AIDS last year.

Funds raised will go toward counseling and other services to terminally ill patients who prefer to live out their lives at home, said Lee Ann Donaldson, director of the hospital’s community outreach and counseling services.