The Massachusetts man who grew this year’s beautiful Rockefeller Center Christmas tree may not be able to attend the Dec. 4 lighting ceremony.
Earl Albert, of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, suffered a stroke just days after donating the 75-foot Norway spruce he planted with his late wife Leslie on Nov. 7 at an event that drew nearly 800 spectators. according to Berkshire Eagle.
He is now recovering in a hospital in Albany, New York, and his family hopes he will recover enough to stand in the heart of New York City and watch as his beloved tree is lit.
“We thank everyone for the congratulations and thoughtful messages,” the family said told the TODAY Show on Wednesday.
‘Earl is recovering from a stroke and is receiving excellent care. He is looking forward to the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas tree and is working hard to be there in person.”
A Facebook post from the family also encouraged fans of the tree to write to Albert.
“Let’s show Earl some real Christmas cheer and cheer as he recovers,” it read.
Earl and Leslie planted the spruce as newlyweds in 1967 and watched it grow from a waist-high shrub to 75 feet tall.
Earl Albert, the man who grew this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, suffered a stroke just days after it was removed from his property
Earl and his late wife, Leslie, planted the spruce in 1967 when they were newlyweds, and watched as it grew from a waist-high shrub to 75 feet tall.
Leslie died just days before Rockefeller Center’s head gardener, Erik Pauze, visited the house to inquire about the tree
“We decorated it first when it was small, and then it got so big I couldn’t decorate it anymore,” Earl previously said NBC.
The towering beauty finally caught the attention of Erik Pauze, Rockefeller Center’s head gardener, in 2020.
He was so impressed by the fir trees that he visited Albert’s home, triggering a moment that the family believes was fate – as it happened just days after Leslie’s death, leaving Earl and Leslie’s son, Michael , wondering if Pause was “an angel or something.”
Michael’s wife, Shawn, noted that Leslie’s influence was evident at that moment. “This is definitely her handiwork,” she said.
Earl also said donating the tree to Rockefeller Center is “probably one of the greatest honors” of his life, adding that his late wife would have been “thrilled.”
“Honestly, it’s a tribute to my mother. It’s a new beginning for the tree and for our family,” Michael said.
It was removed from the couple’s property in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on November 7, as nearly 800 people watched
The tree will soon be decorated with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights and crowned with a Swarovski star covered in three million crystals
After being cut down, the tree began its journey to New York City, where it will soon be decorated with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights and crowned with a Swarovski star covered in three million crystals.
When the fir is taken down in mid-January, it will serve as lumber for Habitat for Humanity to build a house for a family.
In the meantime, the family plans to create a memorial for Leslie on the spot where the tree once stood, marking a new beginning not only for the tree but also for the Albert family.
To honor Leslie, the family plans to create a memorial on the spot where the tree once stood, marking a new beginning not only for the tree but also for the Albert family.