Shawnee Woman Raising Money, Placing Wreaths On Veteran Graves

A woman in Shawnee is determined to shine a light on Veterans this holiday season. 

Karen Hilditch has a deep connection to veterans, as both her father and late husband fought for our country. 

She is filling a Brown Cemetery in Tecumseh with Christmas spirit by raising money to place wreaths on over 100 veterans’ graves. 

Hilditch says she's determined to reach her goal by December 16th.  

“I’m determined, and like my husband always said, if anybody can do it, you can do it,” Hilditch said. 

Hilditch has dealt with loss in the past few years. She lost her dad, Robert Cearley, a Korean war veteran, in 2020 and her husband of 44 years, Chris Hilditch, last year. 

To honor them and others who served, with help from the community, Hilditch built a veteran’s memorial at the same cemetery where she plans to lay wreaths.

The loss of her family members is what inspired her to give back. 

“Never take the next day for granted, and never take your freedom for granted,” Hilditch said. 

Hilditch says if they exceed their goal, the rest of the funds will go towards raising money for the next memorial. 

“Our goal is to keep building veterans memorials at other small country cemeteries,” Hilditch said. 

Hilditch is halfway to reaching her goal; at the last check, they have raised a little over $500 and have $500 more to go. 

Click here to view her GoFundMe page or donate.