<\/p>\n
Pictured above: David McLean sits on the memorial bench made in honour of his wife Joanne (supplied)<\/em><\/p>\n We love writing about people in our community and you love reading about them. This year’s most-read stories have something in common\u2015perseverance.<\/p>\n From slogging through knee-deep snow in mid-January to erect a memorial, to fighting Lyme disease, to spending a year halfway around the world in someone else’s life, to retiring after a 50-year career, we offer this recap of your favourite community stories from 2019.<\/p>\n (Click on the links at the end of each section to read the original stories.)<\/p>\n A testament to true love: David McLean honours his late wife with a long-lasting tribute<\/strong><\/p>\n Joanne McLean, co-owner of Soapstones and founder of the Enliven Centre for Well-Being in Cancer, died in July 2018 after a four-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. She and her husband, David, had many discussions about her wishes.<\/p>\n One of her wishes was to be cremated and for a tree to be planted on top of her ashes to fertilize the tree, essentially.<\/p>\n In looking for a suitable location, David learned about the memorial tree plantings at the Dyer Memorial Forest, a property that is overseen by the Muskoka Conservancy. Although they don\u2019t allow for ashes there, the McLeans still opted to have a tree planted in Joanne\u2019s name.<\/p>\n In his time at Dyer Memorial, David noticed that there was nowhere on the property to sit. And it so happened that another of Joanne\u2019s desires was a memorial bench.<\/p>\n