WESTWOOD, N.J.—For Anouska Lowndes, a magnolia growing in her back garden offers a particular kind of comfort: something beautiful to watch grow in memory of the infant she lost nine years ago.
She hoped a tree could offer that comfort to Serenity Lynn’s family, too.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, that personal idea took root as a community effort. More than 60 volunteers gathered for Westwood’s first Autumn Arbor Fest, honoring Serenity at Brookside Park and planting 25 trees across nearby streets in less than an hour.
“25 TREES IN LESS THAN AN HOUR,” the Westwood Shade Tree Advisory Committee celebrated afterward in a Facebook post. “That’s the power of community when we rally to support our Westwood residents.”
The borough’s first Autumn Arbor Fest began at 10 a.m. with a small ceremony at Brookside Park, where volunteers planted a Butterfly magnolia in Serenity’s memory, accompanied by a plaque and time capsule. Attendees and volunteers then spread out to plant 24 more trees along Brookside Avenue, Lake Street, Maple Avenue and Grove Street.
Friends shared remembrances of a girl Lowndes described as funny, caring and someone other children could turn to.
The memorial inscription reads, “In loving memory of beautiful Serenity Lynn,” followed by the words, “Her wings were ready, but our hearts were not,” and her dates, Oct. 2, 2012–July 25, 2025. At the foot of the magnolia, a portrait of Serenity sits beside a poem titled “Serenity’s Tree,” inviting visitors to sit, remember her and find comfort as the tree grows. Pink butterfly decorations adorn the young tree.
Serenity was 12 when she died last year. She would have turned 14 on Oct. 2.
Lowndes’ daughter was among her closest friends. Although the children had known Serenity for only about a year, Lowndes said, their bond felt much older.
“The way they talk about her, you would have thought they would have been friends their whole lives,” she said.
For Serenity’s mother, who is otherwise protecting the family’s privacy and prefers not to be named here, the gathering brought comfort alongside grief. In a statement shared with Pascack Press through Lowndes, she said:
“It was such a beautiful and meaningful morning for our family. We truly felt the love and support from everyone, and it means more to us than words can express.”
“Seeing the tree planted in Serenity’s memory brought both sadness and comfort to my heart,” she continued. “I’m so grateful that she will be remembered and loved.”
Something beautiful growing
Lowndes said the idea began with her own experience of loss. After losing an infant, she planted a memorial tree in England. Her sister-in-law now cares for that tree, and Lowndes planted another magnolia after moving to the United States.
“It always gives me comfort to see year by year something beautiful growing,” she said.
She approached Mayor Ray Arroyo, who connected her with Councilwoman Erin Collins, the council’s liaison to the Shade Tree Advisory Committee. Lowndes also asked Serenity’s parents whether they would welcome a memorial tree.
They loved the idea, she said.
The committee embraced it, too, expanding the proposal into a community planting day modeled on April’s Arbor Fest, when volunteers planted 25 trees in just a few hours.
At Brookside Park, Lowndes envisioned a place where Serenity’s friends could pause, remember her and watch the tree grow.
She also wanted the family to know that their daughter remains part of her friends’ lives. At the ceremony, she spoke about the milestones ahead for the children who loved Serenity.
“Serenity will be with them because they’ll always carry her in their hearts,” she said.
The time capsule holds letters to Serenity from her friends and family. Lowndes estimated there were more than 20 letters, including three she placed inside on behalf of the family.
She encouraged the children to share something upbeat: an achievement, a place they had visited or something that had made them proud over the past year.
“They’re all just lovely letters,” Lowndes said, “talking to Serenity as if she was still with them.”
Zambrano said he placed the capsule in front of the tree, just behind the plaque. There is no scheduled opening date. Lowndes envisioned it remaining there for Serenity.
“Letters for her, really, was my thinking,” she said.
Caring about the canopy
For committee Chair Dan Zambrano, the effort continues a commitment to Westwood’s trees that earned him recognition as the borough’s 2025 Volunteer of the Year.
In a personal Facebook post about the award, presented at the borough’s reorganization meeting, Zambrano described his surprise and thanked Arroyo, the council and Collins, who presented the proclamation.
He invoked the Lorax in explaining his motivation, adding, “I think all of the governing body and administration can agree we care an awful lot about our tree canopy.”
That care translated into considerable preparation before Saturday’s volunteers picked up their tools.
Zambrano walked Lake Street, Brookside Avenue, Grove Street and Maple Avenue with Rick Woods and the Department of Public Works to mark planting locations. DPW crews then dug all 25 holes and delivered the trees.
Borough Clerk Jean-Marie Vadovic and Administrative Assistant Jo-Ann Forcellati sent residents notices about planting in public rights-of-way. Borough Administrator Durene Ayer coordinated among departments and helped adjust plans to move more trees to Brookside Park.
The committee also thanked Recreation Director Gary Buchheister for welcoming the memorial tree, plaque and time capsule at the park.
Thought and care
Shade Trees Nursery, Inc. Garden Center supplied the magnolias and serviceberries. Collins praised the preparation behind the planting.
“There was incredible thought and care put into the planning for this morning by all involved!” Collins said.
The committee reserved particular praise for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Alpha Beta Rho Omega Chapter and its president, Tahese Toney Warley. Members helped at both the spring and autumn events.
The chapter, the committee wrote, “has never said no when asked for help planting trees.”
AmeriCorps partner Phoebe Galione helped with the volunteer event. Residents, borough employees, elected officials and volunteers from neighboring communities contributed to the two Arbor Fest efforts.
The committee closed its account with an affectionate acknowledgment of Collins, thanking her “for always picking up Dan’s calls and jumping into action when he has crazy ideas.”
A procession of yellow blooms
The autumn planting, on a seasonally chilly morning, included 13 Butterfly magnolias, known for their yellow blossoms, and 12 Autumn Brilliance serviceberry trees.
The magnolias along Lake Street will form a procession of yellow blooms leading toward
Serenity’s memorial tree behind the Brookside Park sign.
Then came another committee update: “Bonus 5 trees planted!”
The committee reported planting five additional native serviceberries beside the visitor parking spaces at Borough Hall, bringing the combined tally for the two Arbor Fest events and the additional plantings to 55 trees.
It also highlighted the growth of a red maple planted in front of the Westwood Volunteer Ambulance Corps building in April 2025.
The plantings advance the borough’s broader work to replenish its tree canopy.
As Pascack Press reported in April, Westwood planted 110 trees in 2025, compared with 79 replacements the previous year, and set a goal of full replacement in 2026. A boroughwide inventory completed by arborist Elizabeth Stewart identified more than 2,600 street trees and more than 2,100 planting locations.
April’s volunteer effort focused on flood-prone Harding Avenue, where additional canopy can help absorb rainfall and reduce runoff.
For Lowndes, Saturday’s turnout reflected what she has come to value about her adopted hometown.
She and her husband grew up in Kenilworth, England, a small town she describes through its medieval castle ruins and thatched cottages. They initially expected to spend only three years in the United States for his work, but decided to stay. Now four years into life in Westwood, she loves its downtown — the “high street,” as she calls it — and the neighbors who come together in celebration and in sorrow.
Above all, she wanted Serenity’s family to feel that continuing support.
“I just love that the family got to see that we still think about them,” she said. “We still love them.”
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