Junior Woman's Club honors, remembers Debbie Caruso

Sparta - The Junior Woman’s Club of Sparta held their eighth annual Festival of Trees, Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, at the Lake Mohawk Golf Club. Two trees at this year’s event honored Debbie Caruso, longtime Sparta resident, who recently passed away at age 44 from ovarian cancer. Caruso had participated in the Festival of Trees for many years. She is remembered for decorating some of the most beautiful trees and donating them to the Junior Woman’s Club of Sparta for auction. Her trees alone raised thousands of dollars for local charities. This year, the club honored her memory and her creativity by renaming the award for creativity, the “Debbie Caruso Award for Creativity.” Her family completed “Santa’s Shells,” a tree Debbie designed earlier this year. Her husband, Chris, and children, Chelsea and Ryan, were at the awards ceremony when Debbie was honored. Her friends decorated another tree, aptly named “Angels.” Friends and neighbors donated angel ornaments as a way to remember her this holiday season. “Our hearts are still with the Caruso family, and we wanted to let them know that we are thinking of them,” said Kim Stoddard, who coordinated the “Angels” tree. “She loved this event, and creating a tree in her memory was a nice way to remember her.” Stoddard said Caruso would be proud of the trees her family and friends created in her memory. “Each are a tribute to her creative spirit,” she concluded. Proceeds from this year’s festival were donated to Cherished Creations and the Sussex County American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.