‘A light in so many lives’: Mom who beat cancer killed by falling tree branch

CORINTH, Maine (WABI/Gray News) - A Maine family is mourning the loss of a 49-year-old woman who was killed by a falling tree branch. She’s being remembered as a devoted mother, loving wife and cherished community member.

Amy Tatlock’s husband, Andrew Tatlock, says her family is still struggling to process what happened Thursday afternoon. The 49-year-old mother was killed when a tree branch fell on her car during a strong storm in Corinth.

“I feel very numb. We look around the house, and it feels like she’s gonna walk in but we know she’s not going to,” Andrew Tatlock said.

He and his son, Christian Tatlock, are among many in the close-knit community who are in shock after Amy Tatlock’s death.

“She was the type of mom that you literally dreamed of... You couldn’t even think of a better mom,” Christian Tatlock said.

He says he may never understand why his mother was killed by a falling tree branch.

“She battled cancer and defeated it last year in October, so only something as crazy and as questionable as this could take her out — truly,” he said. “She wasn’t going down without a fight. That woman — she was the strongest woman I knew,” he said.

Christian Tatlock says his mother’s impact stretched well beyond her family. He plans to spend the rest of his life sharing who she was — “a light in so many lives” through the joy and kindness she showed others — including as a volunteer bus driver and a Girl Scout troop leader for more than two decades.

“Remember her as the giving, loving, courageous mother, grandma, friend, sister, aunt — everything that she was — instead of the tragedy,” he said.

In 2019, Amy Tatlock entered a contest to help make her home more accessible for her daughter. Her family says that same kindness was part of how she showed up for others every single day.

“I want everyone to remember her and her heart,” Christian Tatlock said.

A memorial with flowers has been started near where Amy Tatlock died. Her son says he saw what felt like a sign as the family walked up to the memorial.

“I saw a butterfly flying when we walked up, and she always told us to look for the signs in everything,” Christian Tatlock said.

Andrew Tatlock says he will continue to carry his wife’s memory.

“I will be thinking about her every day,” he said.

The family will be planning a celebration of life soon. A GoFundMe has been set up to help them with funeral costs.