In Memory of Carol Gardner -- Now an Angel Bee in Heaven
All of the Bees attended Carol's "Celebration of Life" at LifePoint Church in Carson Valley on Saturday, January 21, 2012. The service was attended by many of Carol's friends and family. The speakers who honored Carol focused on her passions in life -- her love of God and her favorite pastime of quilting. Carol was active in her church, the Quilting Bees group, and in several other quilt guilds. The Bees were especially touched to see the Sun Bonnet Sue quilt we made for her when she was first diagnosed with cancer displayed at the altar. Another celebratory prop was Carol's favorite table. In addition to her Bible, well worn and marked up, were a number of items made by and with the Bees over the years, including Carol's "box quilt" and "Two of a Kind" club challenge quilts from several years ago.
All of the Bees attended Carol's "Celebration of Life" at LifePoint Church in Carson Valley on Saturday, January 21, 2012. The service was attended by many of Carol's friends and family. The speakers who honored Carol focused on her passions in life -- her love of God and her favorite pastime of quilting. Carol was active in her church, the Quilting Bees group, and in several other quilt guilds. The Bees were especially touched to see the Sun Bonnet Sue quilt we made for her when she was first diagnosed with cancer displayed at the altar. Another celebratory prop was Carol's favorite table. In addition to her Bible, well worn and marked up, were a number of items made by and with the Bees over the years, including Carol's "box quilt" and "Two of a Kind" club challenge quilts from several years ago.
Although each of us has her own memories of Carol, a couple of our group experiences stand out. The first is the Sun Bonnet Sue quilt we made in October 2008. The blocks were made by Ellie, Pam, DeAnn, Donna, Randi, Helen, Margie, Dawn, Tammy, Tricia, Peggy, Rita, and Linda. Dawn, Linda, and Randi did the finishing, and Lori created a beautiful label with each participant’s name. At the October 2008 meeting, we gathered around the quilt and offered our prayers for Carol. Each quilter took a ribbon and attached it to the front of the quilt adding a special, silent prayer or thought for Carol.
As Carol began her treatment, she received a great deal of comfort and support at the Cancer Resource Center in Carson City, and she requested that the Bees make an "Angel Quilt" to donate to the center. The original thought was to create a raffle quilt as a fund raiser, so we approached the project with that in mind. As documented throughout the blog, the project evolved slowly over the next couple of years. By the time we completed the quilt, it was a masterpiece, and everyone agreed we wanted to dedicate it to Carol, with her name on the label, and that it should be donated as a wall-hanging in honor of Carol rather than as a raffle quilt. Finally, in November 2011, the Angel Quilt was delivered to the Cancer Resource Center, and Carol got to see it displayed in the lobby before she passed away.
