Elaine Zinger’s Late Husband and Daughter Planted a Spruce in Her Mesick Front Yard as a Birthday Gift, and More Than 40 Years Later a Crane Came for It

The Norway spruce in Elaine Zinger’s Mesick front yard is now Detroit’s Christmas tree, and downtown will light it on Friday, Nov. 20. Crews cut it down Tuesday morning, Nov. 3, more than 40 years after her late husband and her daughter planted it as a birthday present, according to the Cadillac News.

The tree began as a four-foot sapling, Up North Live reported. It grew past 80 feet on the family’s lawn in Wexford County, and the family filmed the morning it came down.

A Birthday Sapling That Became Part of the Family Photos

Zinger’s daughter, Dawn Jacobs, told Up North Live she was a teenager when she helped plant the tree with her stepfather. The Cadillac News put the tree’s age at more than 40 years, while Up North Live called it a 45-year-old tree, so the exact planting year is not pinned down in either report.

What both reports agree on is how much the spruce meant at home. Zinger said it has been part of family events, including wedding pictures and photos of her grandchildren. Jacobs described the yard this way: “Her yard is kind of her haven.”

The property around it was once very different. The Cadillac News reported that Zinger’s 23-acre place was sandy and barren when she bought it, which makes an 81-foot spruce on that land a long way from where the property started.

Why a Tree That Size Went to Detroit

The decision was a family one. According to the Cadillac News, Zinger and her three daughters gave the tree, and her son, Darrin Oudman, helped them decide to donate it. Zinger also said two maples nearby were not getting enough sun, and she does not plan to plant a replacement.

Marty Emery of Dutchman Tree Farms in Manton picked the tree. He told the Cadillac News he first spotted it about three years earlier and visited Zinger in October 2025. His reasons were practical: it “was tall, had a full bore, it was straight and it was healthy.”

Emery said not every owner agrees to part with a tree. “Some people don’t want to part with such a beautiful tree,” he said. Zinger told the paper that she simply loves trees, and said of the donation, “It’ll be a nice ending for the tree.”

Trimmed From 81 Feet to About 70

The spruce stood 81 feet tall before cutting. The Cadillac News reported it will be trimmed to about 70 feet, and that another company will wire in new branches and trim the sides so the shape looks even from every angle.

The Downtown Detroit Partnership’s tree lighting page lists the tree’s arrival at Campus Martius Park for 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and describes it as a Michigan-grown Norway spruce from northern Michigan, delivered with Amazon’s help. The Cadillac News described the tree being strapped to a flatbed in Zinger’s driveway before it left.

Emery’s crew did not stop with Zinger’s spruce. After cutting it, they harvested a smaller tree in Lake City for Cadillac’s own ceremony, the paper said. Dutchman is also sending trees to Oklahoma City and Cincinnati this year.

What Waits for It at Campus Martius

The Downtown Detroit Partnership calls the Nov. 20 event the 23rd annual Detroit Tree Lighting. The Cadillac News reported that the tree will carry 25,000 ornaments and a 90-inch star, and will stand on a freestanding fountain built for tree lighting, which gives viewers a 360-degree view.

David Cowan, the partnership’s chief public spaces officer, told the paper that attendance grew from 2,000 in 2003 to 125,000 in 2025. He said of Zinger’s gift, “For (Elaine) to give this gift to the city of Detroit and lift up this memory is pretty special for us.”

Last year’s tree also came from Mesick. WCSX reported that Scott and Mary Locklear grew the 62-foot spruce there for more than two decades. WDIV’s Local 4 reported that the partnership picks each year’s tree from three candidates it sees in summer, according to Laura Dean, its director of parks and spaces.

Dressing a tree this size is a big job. David Cowan told WDIV last year that more than 10 people were up in the tree for close to 12 straight days. Amazon delivered last year’s tree and the DTE Energy Foundation sponsored it, according to the same report, and the partnership’s page lists Amazon as the delivery partner again this year.

The 2026 lighting time and exact stage were not listed on the partnership’s page or in either local report. Last year’s event was set for 4 to 9 p.m. at Campus Martius Park, according to WCSX, with Mayor Mike Duggan switching on the tree and WDIV airing two hours of the show starting at 7 p.m.

Saying Goodbye to a Family Landmark

Jacobs told Up North Live she would never have dreamed the spruce would end up in Detroit, “displayed as a Christmas tree for all to see.”

Zinger was candid about the loss. She told Up North Live she will miss the tree but is “glad where it’s going,” and called the moment “really special.” She is a big Christmas fan who decorates her home every year, the Cadillac News reported, and her favorite holiday movie is A Christmas Story.

Christmas itself matters to her, too. “It just makes Christmas special,” she told the Cadillac News. After Nov. 20, thousands of people will see the spruce that stood in her front yard for four decades.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Michael Barera – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons