This is the first year the man known as "Mr. Christmas" won't be bringing his usual holiday cheer to Jefferson City.
Jack Steppelman died four days after Christmas 2014.
For more than 60 years, he decorated his home in the 1100 block of Leslie Boulevard, and lines of cars paraded by to see the display.
He was also a prominent downtown retailer for nearly four decades before his retirement.
Steppelman's family wanted to start a tradition to honor him and others who have died.
On Thursday night, the first "Memory Tree" lighting took place at the Houser Millard Funeral Home on West Main Street.
Steppelman worked at the funeral home and helped decorate there for the holidays, so owner Reid Millard felt they should do something special to honor Steppelman during this first year he wouldn't be around to help celebrate the holiday.
Family members brought items to decorate the tree that reminded them of Steppelman and others who lost loved ones also brought decorations.
"Dad actually started decorating for Christmas when he was 14," said Steppelman's daughter, Stephanie Biggs. "It was a lot of hard work, expense and time, but he delighted in being able to give something to Jefferson City that people could enjoy. He told me many times, "I love Jefferson City, and Jefferson City has been good to me.'"
After Steppelman died last year, Biggs said the family dimmed the Christmas lights at his home and left one single spotlight on an angel.
She said they received many messages on Facebook from strangers telling how much they enjoyed her father's displays over the years, but one touched her most of all.
"The first year I found it, I was broke," Biggs read at Thursday night's ceremony. "I couldn't afford to buy gifts for my loved ones that year, and I was driving down the street and had to look. I have gone every year since."
"It touches my heart to know that the beauty he created could bring happiness, hope and comfort to a struggling person," Biggs added.
Organizers hope the "Memory Tree" lighting will become an annual event.