Memorial Tree Planted in Honor of Ty Borcherding

Kandi Borcherding and her friends planted a memorial tree Wednesday morning in East Park in honor of her son, Ty, who passed away in July.

They purchased the tree (a Ginkgo biloba) through the Hampton Tree Board, along with a customized plaque, which will arrive at a later date.

Kandi wanted to thank the community for their overwhelming support after the passing of her son.

“When this all happened, I just couldn’t believe how many friends he had,” she said. “Everybody reached out. They even did a huge celebration as a golfing outing for him and 150 people showed up!"

The tree planting, which came with laughter and tears, was one more memory that Kandi and her friends will cherish with Ty. Kandi made sure to video call Ty’s sister, Kylie Voy, so she could watch the tree go in, as well.

“He had a heart of gold, and the biggest smile in the world,” Kandi said of her son.