This quilt belonged to Josie Junek, and is on loan by Dennis Suiter for display at the High Plains Western Heritage Center.
By: Karen Holzer
Quilts are much more than fabric and thread. The textile creations tell stories, share history, encourage conversation and preserve memories. The steps of planning and preparation, gathering materials, sharing ideas, cutting, pinning and hours of stitching, are each important as the quilt emerges from the pile of fabric, scissors, and spools of thread.
At the High Plains Western Heritage Center, a quilt is displayed that was created by a group of community people in the Belle Fourche area during World War II. Quilters gathered together collecting the names of loved ones serving in the military. Each name was stitched onto the petal of a six-sided flower design. Each individual was remembered by family and friends as their names were preserved with stitches. True to the era of shortages and depression years, pieces of the quilt are made with a variety of leftover fabric or cut from clothing no longer in use.
Just imagine the stories, laughter, and tears that were shared as the quilters gathered and pieced together memories of their loved ones so far away. Gathering the names provided a community of care, love and prayers for the soldiers and their families. Each name stitched on the fabric brought the soldiers a little bit closer to those waiting at home. As names were stitched and fabric squeezed between fingers, prayers for safety were whispered. We have the opportunity to experience this time in history, by taking the time to remember, view the quilt and recognize names when visiting the Heritage Center.
A few of the names included on the quilt are Gerald Bert Stump, U.S.N.R – Joe Morris – Chas Craig – James Vance – Delmar John Junek – George Allan Beardshear, 313th A.A.F.F.T.D. – Le Roy Heimrick. Each of these names along with many others were prayerfully stitched into the WWII Memorial Quilt.