City forced him to cut the oak tree tied to his late wife, so he found a way to save it forever
It was where he had proposed to her, where they carved their initials 30 years earlier, where their love had taken root.
In a recent post, one husband shared how a city order forced him to say goodbye to the oak tree that had been central to his marriage, and how, instead of letting that final link vanish, he found a way to rebuild it into something he could carry with him forever. The post, originally shared on Facebook by Hasbi Hakan on June 29, went viral after being reshared by Scott Metcalf on his Instagram @scott_metcalf777, gaining 342k views and over 23,000 likes. Hakan explained that when his wife was in hospice care, she made him promise that the tree would always stand. "That’s where we carved our initials 30 years ago. That’s where you proposed to me. Promise me you’ll never have it cut down," she told him, and he promised.
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However, just three months after her death, the city said the tree had "root rot" and had to be removed. "I fought against it for weeks, but in the end, I had to watch the last living memory of our love story being cut down," he said. Devastated, Hakan decided to save every log and branch, storing them in his garage, but for two years, he couldn’t bring himself to touch the wood, admitting he was "hoarding memories." "Then, one day, I saw someone who had turned wood from his grandfather’s barn into furniture. Something clicked inside me," he explained.
From that moment on, he taught himself woodworking through YouTube tutorials and trial and error, and piece by piece, he transformed the oak into a door. "Every cut, every curve of that tree became part of a door. The branches that once bore our initials are now the frame for all who enter our home," he said. In the glass panels, he embedded river stones from the creek where they had their first date. "When the light hits them just right, they seem to float — like the memory of my wife," he said. Now, when people ask about it, he says, "It was made from love. Quite literally."
For Hakan, every time he walks through the door, he feels her presence. "Every grain of the wood carries 30 years of marriage within it. And every time I walk through it, I feel her close. She kept her promise to always be with me. And I kept mine – that our tree would never truly die," he concluded. What he built speaks to something deeper than one man’s grief. A 2016 study shows how people turn to symbolic objects to keep bonds alive after loss. Therapists interviewed for the research explained that these objects help honor memories, preserve love, and transform pain into something tangible. Creating an object from a deeply meaningful source, like Scott did with the oak tree, can be a powerful way to hold on to love while moving through loss.
The sweet gesture drew waves of support and overwhelming reactions. @marilynromerostylist commented, "What a beautiful memory… bittersweet but in the long run, you did something way better than the standing tree. Amazing work and an amazing person you are for making something out of pure love." @ker2815 added, "I could hardly read the story because of tears. What a beautiful love that must have been. The love and the door will continue to live. I couldn’t imagine what a wonderful life you must have had. Cherish it." @djcauble wrote, "You could tell you put your heart into the story because of the love for her and for you not being able to save her beautiful oak tree. It’s amazing and it will last many, many years to come."
You can follow Scott Metcalf (@scott_metcalf777) on Instagram for more such stories.
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