Hartville family finds solace in a pine tree at Quail Hollow Park

LAKE TWP. ‒ You won't find this little pine tree on any Quail Hollow Park maps. And there's little reason to even notice it, amid the park's 700 acres of forest and meadows.

After all, it's just a little tree.

By Christmas tree standards, it's a Charlie Brown. Kind of scraggly. Defective in shape. Empty of limbs in all the wrong places. It's an imperfect creation. Like all of us.

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"You should have seen it before, though," Amy Catlin Wozniak said.

Back in 2017.

That was the first year she and her husband, Michael, who live in Hartville, decorated it for Christmas. She's not sure how he would have made it through Christmas that year if not for that little tree.

Three years prior, Ryan Wozniak, Michael's 25-year-old son from his first marriage, had died.

"He was just having a horrible time with Christmas," said Catlin Wozniak, who married Michael in 2009.

But there was something about that little tree.

They'd spotted it before while walking their Great Pyrenees, Scarlett O'Hara. Now, it embraced the Wozniaks; they embraced it. Decorating it gave them a sense of peace.

In spirit, that little pine tree has become an 80-foot-tall towering oak of inner strength; a coniferous creation of faith and compassion; and the object of their annual cathartic ritual of acceptance, rememberance, healing hope and reflection.

And for Catlin Wozniak, a one-time fiction writer, that little tree has served as the inspiration for three nonfiction stories published in separate "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books.

The latest, "The Little Tree in the Woods," is included in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Christmas: 101 Tales of Holiday Joy, Love, and Gratitude," released in October.

Private experience becomes public

"It was always kind of a private thing for us," Catlin Wozniak explained.

Each year since 2017, in early December, the Wozniaks march into the park's woods, north of the gazebo and historic former H.B. Stewart family home, to locate and decorate their little pine tree.

They've named it the R.Y.A.N. Tree — a name which honors Ryan and stands for Random Yule Action Now.

Michael Wozniak came up with the idea to place a poster board sign near the tree every year.

Although he sells cars for a living, he's the writer when it comes to penning a message on the sign, to explain why they decorate, and to invite others to write on the sign.

His message this year, in part:

"He left us way too soon. Like this tree, our roots have grown strong deep in faith. Ryan loved these woods, and we do this to remember him. Feel free to write the names of someone you miss. Thank God, and Merry Christmas to all of you, Mike & Amy."

Through the years, people have noticed.

The Wozniaks keep all five previous signs — filled with notes and messages from strangers — folded inside their bag of tree decorations.

Messages such as "You are an inspiration to all," TeeWee wrote in 2020; "Such a beautiful tribute," from Liz in 2021; "Thinking of Todd;" "Missing my grandma Flo;" "Kris, Mike, Carol, Chuck ... always in our hearts."

The Wozniaks' private ritual has apparently prompted others to do the same, as the couple began to notice other Quail Hollow trees decorated during the holiday season.

"And people have written to me on social media and told me about how they have started decorating a tree in their area," Catlin Wozniak said.

Add in the Chicken Soup stories, and the R.Y.A.N. Tree's notoriety continues to grow. In this year's Chicken Soup book, Catlin Wozniak guides the reader through five lessons learned from the tree.

The fifth lesson, she noted, is that: "Healing comes when you share your grief journey with those you meet along the way."

"We plan to decorate the little tree for many years to come. Sometimes, the things that seem random turn into traditions, and those traditions lead to a legacy you never knew was possible," she wrote.

Michael Wozniak contacted Stark Parks this year. He finally shared how he and his wife were the ones who'd decorated that little tree every year to honor Ryan — clearing up the mystery of who'd been responsible.

In turn, the Wozniaks were included in the park district's annual "Deck the Hollow Holiday Lights Walk at Quail Hollow Park."

Ryan Wozniak and Quail Hollow Park

Ryan Wozniak's life ended in a tragic way.

He loved the outdoors. He was known to build lean-tos for shelter and sanctuary.

He also was a smoker. On July 11, 2014, in a Plain Township field, he was carrying a gas can. It exploded, killing him. Catlin Wozniak said she's not sure if the blast was triggered by a cigarette or campfire.

In a frantic search for the missing man, Michael Wozniak and his wife were the ones who found Ryan's body two days later.

The Stark County coroner ruled his cause of death undetermined. The Wozniaks pin the blame on the specific type of gas can he carried that day — one manufactured by Blitz.

Attorneys for dozens of lawsuit plaintiffs across the country said the cans were not equipped with a flame arrestor, making them more susceptible to explosions.

According to a 2013 story by CNBC, Walmart (a major seller) contributed $25 million to a $161 million fund, created to pay settlements for Blitz. The company spiraled into bankruptcy.

Numerous tests showed that in some instances, a flashback explosion could occur inside the plastic gas can, if escaping vapor contacted a flame or spark, which could ignite vapor inside the can.

Ryan Wozniak, musician, writer, artist and lover of nature, had struggled with mental illness. However, he was doing well when his life abruptly ended in a field that day.

"So often, when you lose a loved one, as time goes on, people stop saying their name, and people begin to forget them," Catlin Wozniak wrote, as she explained the R.Y.A.N. Tree.

Michael Wozniak, 59, and his wife, 55, who'd married in 2009, won't forget.

Nor will the rest of Ryan Wozniak's family.

He was also survived by his mom, April Cook, and her husband, Joseph Cook, and his siblings, Michaela, MacKenzie and Macy Cook, and Madison Wozniak, and Ross and Alexa Trotter.

When Stark Parks staff learned the full story behind that little pine tree, they invited Catlin Wozniak to this year's "Deck the Hollow Holiday Lights Walk at Quail Hollow Park."

The two-weekend December event, hosted by Stark Parks and the Quail Hollow Volunteer Association, featured an assortment of decorated trees and lights. And inside the gazebo, they set up the Wozniaks at a table where people could stop by, buy a book and talk about that little pine tree, or even go visit it.

There's no map, but the Wozniaks created their own directions: The tree is beyond the herb garden. Take the Buckeye Trail. Follow it around the curve. Take the first path to the left, along the tiny stream. Look into the woods on your right.

You'll see the decorated R.Y.A.N. Tree every December.

Jared Shive, community engagement coordinator for Stark Parks, said they'd expected about 2,000 visitors during the two weekends — the third year of the event.

"It's not necessarily a tradition yet ... but we're hoping to build on that," he said.

Reach Tim at 330-580-8333 or tim.botos@cantonrep.com On Twitter: @tbotosREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Wozniak family finds solace in pine tree in the woods at Quail Hollow