Quilt was special 1st time around
Reworked, it will be more special yet
Staff writer
After Hillsboro resident John Dalke died in September 2021, Neva Kreutziger crafted a quilt from his old flannel shirts.
Kreutziger made the original quilt at the request of Amy Dirks, a real estate broker who worked with John’s wife, Delores, at the Real Estate Center.
John’s flannel shirts already had been donated to the local thrift store, but Dirks had retrieved them and taken them to Kreutziger.
Delores was surprised by the quilt made of her late husband’s clothing, and was very emotional, Kreutziger recalled.
Delores slept under the quilt until she herself died May 12, 2023, on her 61st anniversary.
After her death, her daughter-in-law, Pat, took the flannel quilt back to Kreutziger along with some of Delores’ clothing so the original could be reworked into two memory quilts honoring both Dalkes.
Kreutziger is taking apart the flannel quilt and reworking it into two quilts that will be half Delores’ clothing and half John’s.
“There were some clothes that we remembered and some that we picked for the color,” Pat Dalke said.
Kreutziger still is looking for the Real Estate Center T-shirts to use in the quilts.
“I’ve had it for a while, and it’s time to get it done,” Kreutziger said.
Pat Dalke, married to John and Delores’ son, Mark, said she wanted memory quilts for both her husband and her brother-in-law, Matt, who lives in Chapman.