COEUR d’ALENE — When Travis and Anna Hixson were married May 16, 2010, the site of their ceremony was under a ponderosa pine that stood close to the shoreline of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

They picked that spot because it was beautiful, offering shade and open views of the lake and surrounding mountain.

The wedding, with guests seated on blankets, was perfect.

She and Travis, who live in Coeur d’Alene, often hung out there before and after exchanging their vows.

“The tree has always meant a lot to us,” said Anna Hixson, whose last name was Stone when she excelled in cross country and track at Coeur d’Alene High School, graduating in 2007. “It was just pretty.”

So when Hixson heard that majestic tree off Rosenberry Drive, close to City Beach, went down during last week’s windstorm and came to rest peacefully on the sand and grass, she was disappointed.

“It was just really sad to hear it had fallen,” she said. “It was beautiful. The beach isn’t the same without it.”

The tree, estimated by some to stand more than 80 feet tall and well more than a century old — maybe two — was visible from Tubbs Hill, The Coeur d’Alene Resort, and Independence Point. It was often a point of reference for swimmers training for Ironman and a place of rest for walkers.

It stood out, as guardian of sorts — a beacon to those on water and land.

“Albeit it didn’t cause any damage but this is the lone pine tree that stood right at the high water mark on the dike road,” wrote Tom Torgerson in a Facebook post. “Even with all its roots exposed for decades it always seemed to be infallible. Apparently not.”

Cathy Compton, Coeur d’Alene High School running coach, cried when she learned the tree toppled.

For two decades, she used it as a marker to train her runners, whether that be beach sprints or water workouts.

It was also where she sat among the massive roots and contemplated life, past, present and future.

In a way, it was her friend and confidant, where she shared moments with children and grandchildren in the summer months.

She called it a “giant, beautiful creature” and a “remarkable design of beauty,” and even went there to say her goodbyes.

“How many times I went down and sat in the roots of that tree,” Compton said.

She went there Saturday and found many others, strangers and friends alike.

“You’d be surprised how many people know this tree,” she said.

Now that it’s gone, well, she feels a little lost.

“I don’t know. It’s just what you expect to see when you go down there,” she said.

She hopes that the city leaves a part of the trunk for a bench, as a memorial of sorts, where folks can rest and relax and look upon the blue lake waters.

“Let it continue on,” she said. “It would be nice to save one — just let it rest in peace kind of thing."

This is one tree, Compton said, that was part of the area’s history and she hates to see it go. When it came down, it didn't cause any damage, Compton said. It just fell.

“That one just broke my heart. It really did,” she said, her voice full of emotion “What a gentle giant to fall the way it did.”