A linden tree planted nearly four years ago in memory of a 19-year-old Durango woman who died from complications of a seizure was snapped in half in what appears to be an act of vandalism.

Jerome Bleger said the tree was a constant reminder of his sister, Celine Claire Bleger, who died April 28, 2013. He enjoyed visiting the tree and watching its growth in Fanto Park, next to Park Elementary School at 510 East Sixth Ave. in Durango.

The girl’s parents, Jean-Pierre and Rebecca Bleger of Durango, placed some ashes with the soil where the tree was planted, he said.

The tree was planted as part of the city’s memorial tree program, which allows residents to purchase a tree and have the city plant it in a public space, usually in a park or along a roadway – as long as it can be irrigated.

A family friend noticed the tree snapped in half and informed Tiffany and Jerome Bleger of the damage. Tiffany Bleger notified police March 17. Police have no witnesses or suspects.

No plaque identified it as a memorial tree, so whoever broke the trunk likely had no idea it had special meaning to a local family, Jerome Bleger said. Four or five similar trees are planted in a row at the park, he said, and it’s possible someone was messing around and broke the trunk. “I’ve got to believe there’s no way that they knew,” he said.

The city plans to replace the tree in the same location at its own expense, said Cathy Metz, director of Parks and Recreation. The city has planted “in the hundreds” memorial trees for “years and years” around the city, Metz said. This is the first time she can recall a memorial tree being damaged.

Jerome Bleger said it was just a tree, but it had special meaning to his family. Vandals can never know the sentimental value things may have to someone else, he said.

“There’s definitely an emotional pull to that spot, and there will continue to be even when they replant it,” he said.

shane@durangoherald.com