Members of the Westfield community, such as the Obsgarten family and Cub Scout Pack 673 attended a town council meeting on Feb. 11 and presented their proposal to memorialize WHS student Terry DiFalco, who passed away in 2017. With a grant for a new playground at Sycamore Field already in motion, the community and friends of the DiFalco family felt it was the perfect time to construct a memorial for DiFalco.

The idea for the memorial at Sycamore Field began this past summer, as the Obsgartens joined efforts with Town Councilman Mark LoGrippo, Cub Scout Pack 673, the Westfield Girl Scouts and other local families. Together, they drew up a plan to honor DiFalco; the proposal includes a lending library to celebrate her love for books, to be built by the cub scouts, upgraded playground equipment, two sitting benches, a plaque, a flower garden and a pumpkin patch.

“Sycamore Field is where she played a lot when she was a little girl,” said Barry Obsgarten. “It’s a nice place to have a memory of her there.”

The proposal was well received by the council, and it’s expected that official approval of the plans will come in the near future. “Going through the process, everyone up and down, from us to the mayor and everyone in between, has not only been really supportive of the idea, but also very appreciative and understanding,” said Marlene Obsgarten. “They want to remember her, too.”

The renovations at the park are expected to be fully underway at the beginning of this summer. The planning team will be looking for donations to help support the project, with fundraisers planned at WHS and around the community.

WHS senior Anna Obsgarten believes that the details added to the park will bring the town together to remember DiFalco. “There’s a lot of people, especially in our grade, that were friends with her that think about her every day but don’t really have an outlet, or a place to go to feel like they are with her; I think that this park is a really beautiful place for her loved ones and the whole community to be able to come together and think about her.”

If you are interested in being involved in the fundraising effort or have any questions about the plan, please contact Anna Obsgarten at [email protected].