June 15, 2025
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Peru woman leaves city $230,000 from her will to beautify cemetery

City will install a new fence with funds

By Olivia Doak
The cemetery fence at the Peru cemetery on July 27, 2022, looks worse for the wear, however, a donation from Anita Copeland will provide the city funds to improve the fence.

The cemetery fence at the Peru cemetery on July 27, 2022, looks worse for the wear, however, a donation from Anita Copeland will provide the city funds to improve the fence. (Olivia Doak — odoak@shawmedia.com)

A donation of more than $230,000 was given to Peru to beautify the city’s cemetery.

The funds will be used to install a new fence at the Peru cemetery replacing the existing one made of stone.

Anita Copeland, of Peru, left the money to the city in her will when she died in 2018 at age 91. City Clerk Dave Bartley said the city didn’t receive any advance notice of the funds and didn’t know details of why Copeland left the money.

Bartley said the city tried to reach surviving family members to find out more details and found she doesn’t have any immediate family still living. Copeland is buried in the city cemetery, according to her 2018 obituary.

Mayor Ken Kolowski said a “wonderful” person gave the city money and it’s a good way to honor her legacy. She left the details up to the city, simply specifying she’d like the money to go to the city’s cemetery.

“To do a project like this at no cost to the city is fantastic,” Kolowski said.

A plaque with Anita’s name will be put on the fence.

Bartley said the city received the funds across four years from 2018 to 2022. Bartley and Kolowski said a decision was made to make a lasting improvement to the cemetery to best use the funds and honor Copeland’s memory.

The existing cemetery fence is made of stone that is cracking in some places and not in the best condition. Bartley said this improvement will mean a lot, especially because a cemetery is an important part of any community. Because the cemetery is municipally run, that makes it even more special and Bartley said the city takes great pride in keeping it in good condition.

Kolowski said the new fence will look sharp along the well-traveled Shooting Park Road and said the city will be able to hang flags to better decorate for holidays, such as Veterans Day and Independence Day.