Village Manor Retirement Honors Veterans

World War II began on Betty Hooven’s 16th birthday and by the time it ended, the young woman was being teased by her family and friends because of her still "single" status. That circumstance would change quickly however, after she met Edward Hooven, a wounded solider returning home from the service.

"He came home. We met on the second of May and were married on the second of July," Hooven said. "I laughed 'cause everyone thought I was going to be an old maid."  

In preparation of Memorial Day this weekend, Hooven attended a ceremony at the in Hartland for a Quilts of Valor presentation. It gave her a chance to remember her late husband of 55 years, his service and his sacrifice, as well as the hundreds of soldiers she helped to take care of during “her generation's” war. 

During the war, Hooven worked for the Disabled Americans Veterans Auxillary for severely wounded soldiers and described her experiences there as something that "could fry your mind." One of her jobs, among many, was helping to make hundreds of lap quilts for the men who would never leave their wheelchairs. Hooven recalled one young man in particular who she described as “so full of joy and laughing” despite the fact that he had lost the bottom half of his body from his waist down. Hooven attributes the spirit of men like him, fighting overseas, for winning the war. 

“If it wasn’t for the Americans, we probably would have lost the war,” Hooven said. “But because they were Americans, they just wouldn’t give it up.” 

Quilts of Valor, whose mission it is to help cover all soldiers, presented five handmade quilts to veterans and residents of the Village Manor Retirement such as Hooven who also "just wouldn't give it up."

Ann Meredith, the coordinator for the Brighton group of Casual Quilters, says that her group helped to make 300 quilts this year for the organization, which overall sent out more than 30,000 quilts to U.S. soldiers and veterans. A homemade comfort well-deserved, according to Hooven.

“The things we saw there were just so awful,” Hooven said. “And the boys who were going to have to live the rest of their life that way, I couldn’t help thinking, war is such an ugly word.” 

Quilts of Valor can be requested by anyone for any soldier who has seen action. Hundreds of quilts are made each year due to the donations the group receives and according to Meredith, although each quilt cost $140 to make, the impact it has is priceless.

“There’s one that really stands out for me,” Meredith said, quoting from a letter she received from an Army Sniper Ranger. “He said, ‘I received a Purple Heart and then recently I received the quilt. The Purple Heart goes in a box and sits on a shelf. But I can wrap that quilt around me knowing that somebody’s mom, that somebody’s grandma made that quilt for me. I’m a big, tough guy and I cried for hours after I got that quilt.” 

Pat Shinn, a member of the Casual Quilters, has been making Quilts of Valor for six years.

"I sit and think about who it's going to more than if I'm making it for a family member," Shinn said. "I can't say thank you enough."

Ceremonies honoring Village Manor's more than a dozen veterans continued on throughout the day including a talk by Currahee! author Don Burgett, a color guard by Rolling Thunder and music by Premier Big Band.

For Hooven, however, Memorial Day isn't just a day to honor her late husband's honorable service to his country or recognize that his war injuries caused him to spend the rest of his life with a paralyzed leg. Hooven also honors the soldier who simply came home and fell in love with a girl.

“He was the greatest husband, the greatest man, father,” Hooven said. “I can remember as a girl, I never, ever thought I was pretty and we were so poor I never had pretty clothes. And then I married that man and for 55 years he made me feel that I was the most beautiful and the smartest person he’d ever known.” 

To request a Quilt of Valor for a soldier, currently serving or a veteran, or to make a donation, contact Ann Meredith at 810-923-8008 or email at misslogan1@comcast.net. For more infomation about Quilts of Valor, visit www.qovf.org.