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ECA Foundation aims to preserve, protect and promote in perpetuity the art, culture, history and natural beauty of the Erie Cemetery, Laurel Hill Cemetery and Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery and to educate the public on the historic significance of these cemeteries and their residents. The foundation provides enhancements to the facilities, monuments and grounds that go beyond the Erie Cemetery Association’s normal responsibilities including; historical tours, cultural events, and community education.
Situated on 75 acres, the Erie Cemetery is located in the heart of the city at 21st and Chestnut streets. Since opening in 1851, more than 50,000 Erieites have made Erie Cemetery their final resting place.
Located in southwest Millcreek, this open, spacious and attractively landscaped cemetery took its name from a stand of laurel trees situated on high ground and remains an area of contemplative beauty.
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Located in southeast Erie, the grounds of the Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery are meticulously kept, reflecting devoted attention to quality care and maintenance of the area’s striking natural beauty.
Dr. Dunn, a native of Erie, received his bachelor’s degree in religion at Haverford College and his M.D. degree at Thomas Jefferson University. He completed his general surgical residency with the Harvard Surgical Service, New England Deaconess Hospital. He is an emeritus member of the Department of Surgery of UPMC Hamot, and former Medical Director of the Palliative Care Consultation Service there. His surgical experience included trauma, burns, pediatrics, and cancer in this country and abroad, where he has been a visiting lecturer in India, Great Britain, Canada, China, and Norway. Since 1997 his work has focused on the education of surgeons nationally and internationally about the principles and practice of palliative care in the setting of serious and life-limiting illness. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery.
Dr. Dunn currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the Board of Corporators of the Erie Cemetery Association. His previous board affiliations include the American College of Surgeons (Board of Governors), C.H.O.S.E.N. Mission, Hospice of Metropolitan Erie, Great Lakes Home Health, the Vestry of the Cathedral of St. Paul, and The Erie Club.
John and his wife are co-owners of PolyMag Polymer Additives LLC. He joined Eriez Magnetics in 2005 as Manager of the PolyMag business and also served as the Plastics & Rubber Industry Market Manager. Previously he spent 28 years with Premix Inc. in the polymer composites industry, in Sales, Engineering, Purchasing and Operations capacities. John earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and History from Denison University. He currently serves as the President of the Erie Cemetery Association Board of Trustees and he is a member of the Hamot Health Foundation Board of Corporators, the Kahkwa Club and the Erie Yacht Club.
Dan is a Landscape Architect and President of Dahlkemper Landscape Architects & Contractors in Erie PA. Dan was educated in the family business capping his training at Penn State with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, including a semester in London with the University of Guelph. Dan has served on the State Board of Landscape Architects, Governor’s Residence Preservation Committee, City of Erie Design Review Committee and the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association. With his wife Kathy, he founded the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park (LEAF) in 1998.
John is a successful and well-respected architect. He has been a member of the Erie Cemetery Association Board of Corporators since 1986 and served as a Trustee from 1994-2006.
Betsy MacKrell is an Erie native and a graduate of Villa Maria Academy. As a teenager, she developed an interest in genealogy and family history while helping her Father assemble a family tree for a large reunion. Over time, her interest has grown from individual family trees to the endless intertwining of the families that form our community.
After earning a B.A. in English literature at the University of Notre Dame, she worked in advertising, marketing, and PR for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. She moved to the west coast in 1992, where she continued in advertising and marketing; working for Ziff-Davis Publishing, SoftBank Expos, and then later in custom publishing at Fluent Communications. In 2006, she returned to Erie, where she joined the Erie Cemetery as Database Manager and de facto History Person. This position allows her to further her passion for genealogy at the same time; she has tracked down information on numerous people, both well-known and obscure, who are buried in the Erie Cemetery Association’s cemeteries. In 2011, she received the Spirit of 1812 award by the Lake Erie Chapter of the Daughters of 1812, for her work in locating and honoring the grave of unknown soldiers and sailors from the War of 1812 interred in Erie Cemetery.
Laurie is the President of United Way of Erie County. She has served on the Erie Cemetery Association Board of Corporators since 2016. Other organizational affiliations include Past President, Rotary Club of Erie; Corporator, Erie Yacht Club Foundation Trustee, Hamot Health Foundation Board of Corporators; Board Member, Northwest Institute of Research; and, ATHENA Governing Body.
Mitch has served in various accounting roles throughout his career, most recently as Chief Financial Officer for a local Erie manufacturer. His credentials include Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant. Mitch has more than 20 years of service as Treasurer of Erie Cemetery Association and has been a life-long resident of Erie PA.
If you would like more information about the ECA Foundation or its current projects, send us an email.
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2116 Chestnut St., Erie, PA 16502
P: 814-459-2463
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