Fulton family presents quilts to veterans

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By SARAH FORD For Shaw Media

Brenda and Dick Huizenga have been busy quilting over t h e l a st se v e r a l m o n t h s i n honor of a family patriarch injured in WWII, and their dedication paid off after presenting the patriotic quilts to eight grateful family members and friends in Fulton on Friday, Oct. 28.

The Huizengas have been working together since March to complete 12 quilt tops for veterans in the family circle.

“ W e e n j o y e d t h e t i m e together and it made the work go faster, so we decided to make more,” Brenda said. She would search the internet for quilt patterns and materials, then he cut the fabric before she pieced and sewed them together. Each quilt top took about a week as the pair worked together.

Brenda has made several quilts over the years, just like her grandma Winnie Wiebenga used to do until her passing. Brenda’s grandpa, Dick, then gave her all of Winnie’s quilting materials, and she has carried on the tradition while adding to it in her own unique way.

Friday’s quilt presentation also featured a narration of Clarence L. Wiebenga’s WWII airplane crash in the Philippines by Brenda’s sister Pam VanZuiden. The family used his military records to re-create the story of a 23-year-old who was one of two survivors of the crash, along with Ernest L i t t l e . T h e y h a d to w a l k through the jungle to their base camp, and amazingly, Little’s best friend from Elmira, New York, was on the rescue team to find them.

“It helps the kids understand the sacrifice,” said Brenda, noting many grandkids were in attendance, along with in-laws and friends from Fulton, Clinton, Morrison and Bettendorf. Four more quilts remain to be delivered to family members and friends across the country.

After all the quilting this past year, Brenda laughed that the pair are going “on a hiatus.” She credited members of the River Cities Quilt Guild for working on the long-arm quilting for the project – Nancy Hook completed two and Deb Christopher finished 10. Guild members have been busy with their own Quilts of Valor, which will be presented Nov. 15.

Photo provided Quilt recipients are pictured on Friday, Oct. 28, at Manny’s Too in Fulton. In the back, from left are Scot Schaumburg (son-in-law, Army), David Houtz (son-in-law, Army), Jim Meurs (friend, Navy), Arlyn VanZuiden (brother-in-law, Army), Jim Eggers (friend, Navy), Allen Behrens (friend, Navy), Roland Behrens (brother-in-law, Navy), and Ralph Bormann (friend, Navy), and in the front is Deb Christopher and quilters Brenda and Dick Huizenga.

Fulton f irst responders prov ide Halloween fun

Photos by Sarah Ford for Shaw Media ABOVE: Sgt. Dwayne Hamilton, Police Chief Nick Neblung and his daughter Kynslee, 4, Fire Chief Jimmy Pell and his daughter Macie, 6, EMT Emma Kuehl and Assistant EMS Coordinator Steve Boonstra, from left, welcomed kids to the Fulton Fire Station on Saturday, Oct. 29, for treats, games and lots of Halloween-themed fun. RIGHT: Marshall Boonstra, 9, of Fulton was all smiles in his alien costume at the Fulton Fire Protection District’s trunk-or-treat Saturday, Oct. 29.