MACON COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) - A locally-famous statue will still be keeping watch in Macon County.
A concrete angel statue used to sit at the northeast corner of Eldorado and Jasper Streets in Decatur. A while back, the statue was removed. Many people locally even thought it had been stolen.
As it turns out, it was bought by local woman businesswoman Shelley Phillips and her business partner.
"My business partner called him and said, ‘hey, we're interested in the angel',"explained Phillips. “And he said, ‘you and everyone else in Decatur'. So we made him an offer, and soon came to be that we got the angel."
The concrete angel has a very special place to watch over now, which is currently in the works. It’s the Forever After Pet Memorials and Cremation Pet Memorial Garden. Within the garden, there will be a centerpiece where communal pet cremation ashes will be respectfully spread.
Phillips said she got the idea around the time of losing one of her own, dear pets.
"He's the logo of our business, Bruno,” said Phillips. “He passed away it'd be a year ago February, Valentine's Day. He took ill very quickly. He was only seven."
Bruno was diagnosed with an inoperable mass in his heart. Phillips had to make the tough decision to put him to sleep. However, she's hung on to his ashes, as she has for her other pets.
"I have lost many over the years and it's not pleasant,” Phillips shared. “But I have a huge memorial urn inside that will soon come out here."
Phillips said she's honored to provide a space where both she, and other pet owners can remember their furry family members.
"You never get over it, you just have to move on,” she said. “And, I think if we can bring people together and share that experience and they can help each other grow and mourn, and do good things together."
Phillips said pet owners may visit the garden by appointment if they’d like to. To connect with her, call 217-413-6222 or click here.
