'He's still with us:' West Allis widow forced to grieve again after memorial plaque disappears

 

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- If you've been to McCarty Park off of W. Cleveland Ave. in West Allis, you've seen the sprawling 50 acres of grass and greenery that bring many visitors on a regular basis.

If you take a closer look at some of the surrounding foliage, you might notice a particular sugar maple planted next to a bench in between the two baseball fields.

And it's that specific tree that's brought Lisa Mitter of West Allis to the park almost every week for the last two years.

Her husband, Bill, tragically died unexpectedly in 2021.

He had grown up nearby and spent "most of his waking hours" at the park, ice-skating in the winter, swimming in the summer, and playing ball with their children. 

So, when he passed, Mitter knew she needed a way to honor his legacy at a place that was central to his person.

She decided on the tree and a bench -- both adorned with metal plaques that have his name, years of life, and a message of remembrance.

"People could come and enjoy sitting here with him and talking to him or just being at peace here and being able to be with him," Mitter told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White. “My daughter graduated college last May and we had her party here so we could be with him."

The tree was planted in April 2022 and Mitter said there have been "no problems" since.

Until right before this Christmas when a friend informed her the tree's plaque had gone missing.

“I went out of town to be with my mom and dad and then when I came home, I came to check it out and that’s when I realized it is definitely gone," Mitter said. 

What followed next was shock.

While many were celebrating the New Year's weekend, Mitter spent hours combing through the grass, bushes, and along the nearby fence line in case the plaque had somehow blown off or had fallen.

"It has a thicker metal wire," Mitter said. "It was on one of the longer, sturdy branches so it would be hard to get to and it was down close to the main trunk."

While she doesn't have concrete evidence someone may have taken it, she did note it would've been "nearly impossible" to have been removed by forces of nature within the last couple of weeks.

"It does feel different that it’s not here, it’s like nobody can really know what it’s about," Mitter said. “I know people come visit this all the time and I know when they come in from out of town, they always have to come to see the tree.”

Thankfully, the bench is still unaffected -- a solace during the "disconcerting" time.

“It’s been a real struggle and for the new year and everything, I was having a tough time with this and then to find out that the tag was missing too, it’s been hard," Mitter said. “I still need him, and I still need to know that I can go see him someplace, and he’s still here and I think he’s here for a lot of people that are coming to visit."

Mitter said she plans on reaching out to the park's grounds crew to see if anyone has turned it in, before she tries to request a replacement.