In 1996, Morrill Worcester came up with a plan to honor deceased U.S. veterans.
According to Peterborough resident Lisa Foote-Fyfe, Morrill’s “favorite place when visiting Washington, D.C. as a boy was Arlington Cemetery. After asking the government if he could place wreaths in the cemetery, he and a group of friends drove down to D.C., placed a few wreaths and left.”
A humble man, Morrill didn’t make a show of the matter; it wasn’t until others saw the 500 wreaths decorating graves, having no idea where they came from, that he started getting money to support his cause. Then, in 2006, Morrill decided it was time to start a non-profit.
The first year of wreath-laying for Wreaths Across America was 2007, and since then it has grown to encompass all 50 states and a number of U.S. territories.
“Last year, across 5,598 different locations, some 3 million wreaths were sponsored and laid,” Foote-Fyfe said. “On Dec. 13, as part of the festivities, a convoy of 11 semi-trucks, 11 Chevrolet vans and coach buses carrying veterans and Gold Star Families traveled south from Maine in a 3-mile convoy to provide wreaths in honor of our nation’s veterans. We’re anticipating 3.1 million total wreaths to reach cemeteries across the country.”
Foote-Fyfe’s daughter, KaitLynne Foote, was introduced to the organization years ago as a Girl Scout. With an uncle who is listed as missing in action after his Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 vanished over the western Pacific Ocean in March 1962 on its way to Vietnam, the Wreaths Across America mission resonated with Foote. In 2020, the mother and daughter decided to support the organization by starting a Peterborough chapter. This year, they contributed 158 wreaths to the nationwide total by laying wreaths in Peterborough’s Pine Hill, Village and East Hill cemeteries, doing their part to remember those who served and sacrificed for their country.
“Last year, we were able to get 386 wreaths from donors across the area; this year, we came up a bit short, the reason being the economy. People just don’t have the money right now, so all we asked for was a $1 donation. If 17 people commit $1, that’s enough to cover one wreath,” said Foote-Fyfe. “Our goal right now is to eventually hit 620 wreaths.”
On wreath-laying day, they were joined by their family and Peterborough resident Lenny Cornwell and his wife.
Cornwell said, “I’ve been helping with Peterborough’s chapter of Wreaths Across America since it started. My uncle was a Marine in Hawaii who was buried in the ‘Punch Bowl’ back in 1943. For decades, my family had no idea what happened to him. There were rumors, but nobody knew; it wasn’t until a cousin of mine did some digging over a 20-year period that we got closure. In 2018, 75 years after his death, my uncle’s remains were finally returned home.”
Although he never served in the military, sponsoring and laying wreaths allows him to thank family members who served and countless other veterans as well.
Wreath sponsorship for this year has closed, but to sponsor a wreath for a Peterborough veteran for National Wreaths Across America Day 2026, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org/nh0046