The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan

The Peru Volunteer Fire Department provides an essential service to our community. Firefighters obviously take great pride in the service they provide and in the building that houses their department. The firehouse and its grounds always look beautiful and are a credit to Peru. Emery Ezero’s dedication is one of the reasons the firehouse lawns have been in tip-top shape since the firehouse opened its doors.  Ezero volunteered to mow the lawn in the summer of 1974 and he’s still living up to that commitment. He usually begins mowing at 6 a.m. or shortly thereafter depending on the amount of dew on the grass. He finishes about eight hours later or about 2 p.m. The eighty-one year old says, “I do it for fun. When the department has banquets or parties they have me up here with them.” Ezero has close ties to the department. He was a Peru firefighter for twenty-five years (1965-1990). He and his wife Eleanor moved to senior housing in Plattsburgh in 1995, but that hasn’t lessened his dedication to the department. Ezero doesn’t break for lunch. He keeps mowing until the job is done.

Emery Ezero has always exemplified pride in his work and the Peru community. He was in charge of maintenance at St. Augustine’s School and Church for twenty-six years (1965-1991) and kept those buildings and grounds in great shape!