Erie barber leaves $800K to charity for disabled

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A bachelor barber from Erie has bequeathed more than $800,000 to a local charity that helps people with developmental disabilities.

Fittingly, the charity benefiting from Dominick Colelli’s generosity is the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber National Institute.

John Barber is president and CEO of the institute.

Barber says Colelli died Jan. 6 at age 95. Colelli retired in 1977 after cutting hair for 37 years. Barber says the institute, founded in 1952, was the only charity to receive any money from Colelli, who left smaller sums of money to some nieces and other relatives.

Before he died, Colelli had organized several bowling events to raise money for the charity.