They Will Never Be Forgotten: Brevard’s Gold Star Holiday Indoor Tree
For the past 12 years, the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center on Merritt Island, and other Veteran Organizations, have supported a project launched from the heart. Led by Gold Star Mom, Jeanne Weaver, the stars on the tree have now reached over 20. Jeanne’s painting of another Gold Star Family Tree adorns the cover of the December issue of Senior Scene Magazine. For 2025-26 she also created a spiral notebook with one page each of details about the fallen remembered on the tree.
This year on the morning of Saturday, 06 December Jeanne and other Gold Star Families will put up the beautiful indoor tree at the BVMC Military Museum. It will remain in place through mid January 2026, reminding hundreds of visitors the price of American freedom. Each star has the name, unit and photo of those who died in combat , or as a result of military service, who have close family left to remember on the Space Coast. Costs have been covered by the Good Deeds Foundation of MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter, Rolling Thunder FL-Chapter 1, and the Cape Canaveral 10131 Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
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If you have driven by the BVMC lately, you will be amazed to see the Amphitheater and other major upgrades wrapping up construction by early January. Plans are underway near the Amphitheater to plant a live pine tree. That tree will be seen all year round by thousands and a sign will call attention to it — The Space Coast Gold Star Family Holiday Tree. There will be pavers near by for any Gold Star family to donate and have engraved their loved ones information.
If you are a Gold Star Family member as spouse, parent, child, sibling of a military member who died in that service, and would like to honor your loved one or share their story, please contact Donn Weaver 757-871-6576 for more information about the tree and related programs. The ancient Greeks are credited with a saying: “A soldier never dies unless he is forgotten”. In. Brevard County we hope to make sure our fallen are not forgotten.