Quilts of Valor made and presented by the members of Flora Grange
Members of Flora Grange #1762 presented “Quilts of Valor” to honor eight local military veterans at a ceremony held at the Belvidere Historical Museum, 314 S. State St., Sunday, Sept. 13.
According to Flora Grange member Emalee Colver, the quilts are handmade by volunteers who then present the finished quilt to the Veteran of their choosing. Colver also added that the quilts are to honor our nation’s veterans by covering them in colorful quilts for comfort, strength, warmth and stability. “To let the veterans know they are not forgotten,” Colver said.
Colver then said that the Quilts of Valor Foundation founded in 2003 has presented 200,000 quilts nationwide.
The eight veterans honored by Flora Grange members were:
• Ron Eucker, Army—made by Mary Jean Lane
• Stanley Johnson, Navy—made by Joan Fidder
• Eugene West, Army—made by Sharon Fidder
• Gary Klinefelter, Army—made by JoAnn Wienrank
• John “Dick” Maguire, Marine Corps—made by Emalee Colver
• Jim Langendorf, Navy—made by Emalee Colver
• Jerry Hart, Army—made by Emalee Colver—made by Laurel Ratcliffe
Two quilts had been presented in 2019 by Flora Grange. They were:
• Marion Thornberry, Army—made by Jean Thornberry
• Todd Hegge, Air Force—made by Emalee Colver
Shelly Johnson, owner of Sunshine Stitches Quilt Shop, 1490 N. State St., did the finishing quilting stitches on all the quilts free of charge.