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Members of the Rockbridge Pieceworkers Quilt Guild presented a quilt to Collette Barry-Rec’s family in her memory in a ceremony at Shenandoah Valley VFW Post 1499 on Sept. 4.
Barry-Rec, who died Aug. 1, was best known for the Care-Box Project that she founded. This project sent monthly care boxes to local troops that were overseas.
But Barry-Rec, Barbara Snyder and Betty Siemens also wanted to do something for the families of the troops who were overseas and believed that quilts would be a good way to show appreciation for what they endured while the family member was absent.
So they contacted the local quilt guild, Rockbridge Pieceworkers Quilt Guild (RPQG), to help guild them in making quilts. Thus, the Military Appreciation Quilt Group (MAQG) was formed. The group was made up of a mix of guild members and women who wanted to help.
MAQG met at the Rockbridge Area YMCA for over 12 years and made many quilts. Each quilt began with a photo and the story that Barry-Rec would obtain of a soldier who was overseas. MAQG would make a quilt with the photo in it, with a flag label and the soldier’s name and service branch.
Most of the time, Barry-Rec would deliver the finished quilt to the family members; but once in a while the family would come to the Y to receive the quilt so that MAQG members could meet them. MAQG kept this going until Covid shut it down but not before they had made about 200 quilts.
To remember Barry-Rec, RPQG members created and contributed quilt blocks for a memorial quilt that was made for her family.
“This quilt honored her with quilt blocks showing the many facets of life that mattered deeply to her and her family,” said Carol Schoner with RPQG.
The quilt was presented to Collette’s husband, Michael Barry-Rec, and family at last month’s ceremony.
“Collette dedicated much of her life to Americanism and spent a lot of her time supporting our local VFW, who are grateful for her volunteerism, true patriotism, and gift of bringing people together. Thank you to the friends and family of Collete that contributed to our VFW in her honor,” said Suzanne Mayerchak with the local VFW.
