One resident who is fondly remembered by our Fruitport Township Family every time we see the iconic U.S. Flag flying proudly at the US-31 and I-96 intersection is our friend, Tim McFarland. He was a resident passionate about keeping the flag flying in honor of the 9/11 victims and our veterans. The late Tim McFarland was considered the driving force behind the project responsible for rotation of the huge American flags. Each year, he made sure the flag was taken down for repairs and replaced with a second one. It may not be widely known that Tim actually did the repairs on the torn flags.

McFarland worked for Consumers Energy as a tree trimmer and lineman for years. The flag project began when Consumers employees paid for the flag and pole that Consumers set up in October 2001 in honor of 9/11 victims. In 2008, the Fruitport Township community donated more than $2,200 in only a few days toward the flag project, and the township board became interested in getting more formal funding in place. At that time, the son of a fallen WWII soldier donated $800 for a 20-by-30-foot American flag to be added to the rotation at the highway intersection. Fruitport got a new flag again for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 in 2011. If not for the residents who donate, the township would not be able to afford to keep up with the expense of flag purchases when the “flag fund” gets low.

On top of being Fruitport’s beloved flag-flyer, Tim was also part of the West Michigan tree industry for more than three decades, along with his adoring family and friends.

According to those who knew him, “He was the world’s premier husband, father, grandfather, and friend; a certified arborist, a member of Olivet EFC, a flag-flyer, a gardener, an awning-maker, a world traveler, a zebra hunter, a dandelion wine maker, a MacGyver-esque handyman, a grafter of apple branches, a proud Irishman, and an Olympic champion chainsaw hurler. [And] he set out each morning to embody the teachings of Jesus Christ.”

Tim passed away in January of 2021, and is remembered by his loving wife, Janice, and his family, who still operate McFarland and Sons tree trimming business here in Fruitport.

By Kate and Calvin Holtrop: Published in the Fruitport Area News, 2021, May Issue, page 2