Diane Perry was elected Van Buren Township Trustee in the recent election. She’ll be taking office at the beginning of January. She has been attending various trainings with Becky Alles, who decided to retire and not run again for the office. She follows a family tradition of community service. Photo by Lauren Zeugner.

By Lauren Zeugner
InkFreeNews

MILFORD — When the new year rolls in, Diane Perry will be the new Van Buren Township Trustee.

Perry is a Milford native whose father, John Perry, was a pharmacist who owned the local pharmacy for more than 50 years. He also started the Lakeland Loving Care Center Inc.nursing home.

“He would be proud and pleased I’m going to be part of things in town,” she said.

Perry explained Becky Alles, current Van Buren Township Trustee, wanted to retire. “She was very encouraging. She told me a lot about the job, what’s easy, what’s not,” Perry explained.

Perry also accompanied Alles to the Indiana Township Trustee Conference, a three-day training on what’s coming up in the state legislature, tax levies, grants and more. “There was a lot of training. On Dec. 1 there will be a one-day training just for new trustees,” Perry explained.

Kosciusko County also has its own township trustee group that meets on a regular basis. Perry has accompanied Alles to some of those meetings.

Perry worked in the central office at Wawasee Community School Corporation. She was the assistant for the special needs department. “I loved the job. I loved being part of the school, especially when my kids were there.”

After retiring from Wawasee, she began working with Love of Labs, a Labrador retriever rescue group based out of Indianapolis. She currently serves as a coordinator for the organization. She and her husband, Allen Tietz, have a black lab named Lucy.

Perry said Allen has limited her to just one dog. “Our first dog was a treasure to the family. It’s nice to know I’m paying it forward,” she said. The couple have five children, Ben and Becky Tietz, Sarah Reynolds, Nicole Wiese and Holly Shenfield.

In the summer Perry enjoys gardening and landscaping. “Spring will be good,” she said.

When she takes office in January, Perry plans to start with the same schedule and office hours Alles held. “I’m excited to be involved with the town,” she said. “I think it will be a good thing for the town and me. Milford is a great town.”