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Auburn legend Pat Dye, who died Monday at the age of 80, was laid to rest Tuesday evening beneath a special tree he planted on his farm in Notasulga.
Auburn icon Pat Dye laid to rest under tree grown from Toomer’s oak
There was no casket. According to the Athens Banner-Herald, Dye wanted a simple burial, and he was laid to rest in a white shroud.
“I want to fertilize this tree and for my spirit to hover around this tree,” Pat told Jimmy Rane, according to the Athens-Herald report.
The tree under which the longtime coach is buried was grown from a trimming of the original Toomer’s oaks, which famously stood at Toomer’s Corner in the heart of downtown Auburn. Dye had saved the trimming from one of the oaks after it had been poisoned in 2013. He gave the tree special attention, nurturing it to the height of 15 feet.
May that special tree continue to grow in the love and light of Pat Dye’s spirit.
Thanks, Coach.
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