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A chance to say goodbye

Friends of Jim Salzman, beloved Christmas tree salesman, can pay their respects at a memorial service on Sunday.

By THERESA BLACKWELL, Times Staff Writer
Published December 4, 2007

Jim Salzman died on Friday. "Big Jim" lived in Fall River, Wis., but came to Clearwater to sell Christmas trees.
	[Handout]

ADVERTISEMENT [Jim Damaske | Times] Jaime Ortega sprays flocking on a tree at Jim's Wisconsin Trees. Business associate Gordy Kopke of Oregon, Wis., is keeping the business running.

CLEARWATER - Pine boughs form a cross above a table recently set up in the tent at Jim's Wisconsin Trees, just west of Clearwater High School.

On the table are photos of Jim Salzman, 57, a big man at 6 feet 5 inches, who had sold his Christmas trees in Clearwater for about 30 winters before dying suddenly from a heart attack on Friday.

Many of Mr. Salzman's friends and customers took the news hard, asking whether there will be a localmemorial service.

There will be, at 7 p.m. Sunday at the tree lot at Arcturas Avenue and Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard. The candlelight memorial service is open to the public.

Roger Brunk, 52, of Clearwater has worked with Mr. Salzman at Christmas for many years and will run the lot while the Wisconsin staff is gone for memorial service in Mr. Salzman's home state today.

Brunk said the tree lot's employees still ask for nine seats when they go out to dinner, leaving one seat vacant. Mr. Salzman loved being around people, selling growing things and welcoming whoever came onto the lot. Brunk said Mr. Salzman greeted each new customer the same:

"Hey, welcome. My name's Big Jim. What's yours?"

Then he would shake hands.

"It didn't matter if there were six people in the family," Brunk said. "He'd shake hands with each one."

Times photographer Jim Damaske contributed to this report. Theresa Blackwell can be reached at tblackwell@sptimes.com or 727 445-4170.

TO SEND A CARD

Mail to Ann Salzman, 105 Sunrise Lane, Fall River, WI 53932.

Jim Salzman

Friends remember

E-mails from Jim Salzman's customers to the Times:

"I wonder if he even realized what an impact he had on so many in this area 'just' from selling trees!"

Jeanne Coleman

"We have been buying our Christmas trees from him for over 15 years and he became part of our family's Christmas tradition. It is amazing how such a small act of kindness can touch so many lives. He was always kind and welcoming and made you feel that your tree had to be the perfect one."

Joanne Harman,Clearwater

"My heart is aching. My friend Jim, who always spent at least two hours twirling and opening trees for me ... knew I had to have just the right tree to make Christmas so special. If he wasn't there I would either wait or call his cell phone to find him."

"I will never forget him - especially in 1999 when I went in with tears in my eyes because it was my first Christmas without my ex-husband. He asked me what was wrong and of course I told him. I was not planning to buy a tree that year, but for some reason I changed my mind. He not only tried to console me but delivered the tree he picked out for me and carried up to the second floor and set it up in the stand, trimmed the top, since it was just a little too tall for the small apartment I had at that time.

"I offered him some coffee but he chose to have a coke while he tried to assure me that things would get easier. He had been through a divorce so he knew the feeling well."

Paula Marston, Tarpon Springs

[Last modified December 3, 2007, 20:49:02]