The Evergreen Cemetery Association is a 501(c) non-profit organization and your contribution may be deductible for income tax purposes. Please see your tax advisor for actual deductibility.
Many of the fine new additions to the cemetery would never have been possible without the generosity of the many people that remembered Evergreen Cemetery in their gift giving plans. In these days of cost increases it is challenging to manage everyday costs of the cemetery from a budget mostly funded from perpetual care earnings. Fortunately for the Evergreen Cemetery Association there were and are civic minded people out there interested enough in these fine historic grounds to rush in and fill the gap between stagnation and progress. Everyone in the association can take pride that none of these improvements came from municipal funds.
Charles and Mary Worcester made a significant bequest to the cemetery association in 1956 that was used to construct the office and shop building which is named The Worcester Memorial Building. Friends, relatives, and, in a few cases, strangers have also come forth in both small and large ways to beautify your cemetery. The Board of Trustees appreciates all these gifts. Major recent donations have come from Mark & Valerie Kerschensteiner, Margaret Buending, the Leonard Lang trust, Steve Bowar, Lloyd Hake, Norman and Pauline Godfrey, and the Friends of Bellman Carillon Tower (see plaque below).
The historic Cemetery Cottage at the entrance to the cemetery on North Main Street was falling into disrepair when the Kerschensteiners stepped forward with a donation to renovate it. It now stands as an outstanding reminder of our past.
Wishing to honor her mother and father, John and Katherine Bellman, Margaret Buending donated monies to construct the Carillon Tower and the blacktop road that circles the tower. The tower is now a Fort Atkinson landmark.
Mr. Leonard Lang, a retired grocer from Fort Atkinson, left a sizable bequest to Evergreen Cemetery Association in his will. The Board of Trustees decided that the money could be used most wisely by replatting the grave spaces around the tower to make the best use of the area. Mr. Lang’s money was also used to pay for our bookkeeping system to be computerized. Many pieces of information will be available at the click of a button. The system now will be a treasure trove of information for the public and will simplify and speed things up for our staff saving time and man-hours. The information can be backed up and secured in off-site location.
When the need arose to construct a courtyard around the Carillon, Mr. Lloyd Hake generously offered to pay for its construction and the surrounding greenery. It is a beautiful compliment to the Bellman Carillon Tower.
Donations of time, material, and equipment came into play in Steve Bowar’s gift. We needed excavation and a cement base 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep to support the tower. Mr. Bowar dug the hole and formed it, furnished the cement, and finished it off, all at no charge to the cemetery.
Norm and Polly Godfrey left a generous bequest to the Evergreen Cemetery which was used to pay for the construction of the Memorial Court located in the Soldiers Circle and to maintain the cemetery grounds.
There have been many other generous gifts of time and money to Evergreen Cemetery, not the least of which are the volunteers who serve on the Board of Trustees. Many projects remain awaiting your support. Please remember Evergreen Cemetery in your estate plans and in your gift giving.
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