'Spirit angel' carved from tree P.E.I. boy died climbing 10 years ago

A P.E.I. mother is having a carver create a memorial from the remains of a tree which her 9-year-old son died while climbing a decade ago. 

It's a fitting way to remember her son Brandon Gallant, who was electrocuted at their Summerside home on May 23, 2006, said Trish Gallant-Coles. There was a wire among the branches and, although Gallant-Coles doesn't know for sure, she thinks Brandon may have grabbed the wire or a nearby branch that was conducting electricity.

The idea of the memorial came to her when her landlord asked if he could have the tree taken down. 

"I was hesitant at first, so the landlord left it up to me, really. He asked 'How do you feel about it?' And I said 'Well, I think I'm ready,'" said Gallant-Coles. 

"I asked him if he would save a piece so I could have something done for Brandon." 

'The tree is coming alive'

Gallant-Coles asked Wayne Ellis to do the carving, after seeing the wizard he created in his front yard in Summerside.

Ellis said his hobby grew out of his work as an arborist. 

Last Friday, Ellis sized up what was left of the approximately 80-year-old spruce tree in Gallant-Coles' side yard, not knowing what he was going to create. Once he started carving the sweet-smelling six-foot stump, he said he realized it was a motherly angel. 

"The best part of the tree was staring at the house, at her door, so that's where I started," said Ellis.

"She's very majestic." 

"The tree is coming alive, and it's a beautiful thing," said Gallant-Coles, describing what it's been like to watch the work. 

"Every time I open the door I'm going to be greeted by this beautiful spirit angel, you know. I think it's wonderful."

Carver says emotional work

The carving has been emotional work, said Ellis. Although he didn't know Brandon, he remembers the tragic accident. 

"I'm thinking of what the family went through. It's going on ten years, but it probably seems like a half an hour ago." 

Being in the tree-trimming business, Ellis said he comes across hidden wires frequently. "It's dangerous, very dangerous."

The thin cover on wires can be worn off if they rub against a branch, and then that branch can conduct a fatal current, he points out.

Gallant-Coles wants parents and children to know the risks, especially now that it's spring and more children will be playing outdoors. She believes trees should not be planted near power lines, and trees that are there should be kept trimmed. 

"Keep the children safe." 

'I know Brandon's there watching me'

Brandon's 24-year-old brother Josh, who uses a wheelchair, loves the memorial carving. 

"Since this started, I wheel out that door in the morning and I know Brandon's there watching me. And that puts a smile on my face." 

Ellis expects it will take one more day to finish the carving, including oiling the wood to bring out the colours and putting a protective coat on it to keep it from weathering. 

The word grandmother keeps coming to him as he works on the wood, said Ellis. "It seemed like a grandmother looking over the family."

"My mother died when I was quite young, and she never got to meet my children, but now I believe she has met one," added Gallant-Coles.