Campton Hills spruce to be Chicago’s Christmas tree

When Amanda Clark’s husband’s grandfather passed away on Nov. 7, 2004, the funeral home in Kenosha sent a six-inch Norway spruce sapling to the family as a remembrance.Peter Refiuna, an Italian immigrant, was 96 and the tree from the Proko Funeral Home was a nice gesture, Clark, of Campton Hills said.“He was my mother-in-law’s father,” Clark said. “My husband is the one who planted the tree.”The sapling grew to nearly 50 feet. Rather than just have it cut down, she submitted to be considered for the annual Christmas tree to be lit in Chicago’s Millennium Park.It was chosen out of 108 applications, Chicago officials said.“The tree grew quite large and very wide and it was going into the landscaping and getting too close to the house,” Clark said. “Rather than cutting it down, this was a better way to celebrate it, his life and legacy.”The tree was removed from Clark’s yard Nov. 2 and hoisted by crane to a flatbed truck for its trip to Chicago. “We counted 25 rings, so that told us the s