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Inez Hollm looks at the last quilt she created, which was returned to her by Mike and Barbara Downs.
Lt. Col. Mike Downs (right) shares a laugh with Ralph (second from right) and Inez Hollm during the Hollm's 60th wedding anniversary celebration at the Lake of the Woods Clubhouse on Thursday. Downs and his wife, Barbara, got the quilt in an auction, then returned it. |
The gift brought a smile and a tear to almost every person gathered to celebrate the love between Ralph and Inez Hollm.
The two have been married 60 years. They are kind, generous people who quietly go out of their way to help others, their four children said.
Ralph is a retired engineer, known for his knowledge of airplane instruments. He and Inez traveled across the globe until they settled in Lake of the Woods in the late 1980s.
She joined the Closet Quilters and focused her artistic energy on needle and thread. Over the years, she made about a dozen quilts--each stitched by hand--and gave most of them away.
Two years ago, she started what would become her last creation. She has Parkinson's disease, and as she worked on the 12 squares of appliqued flowers and hearts, her hands shook so badly, she had put it aside.
When her neighbor, Pat Cope, saw the unfinished canvas, she had an idea. What if she pieced the squares together, then the two donated the quilt to a favorite charity? The women picked the Lake of the Woods Volunteer Rescue Company as their beneficiary.
Tickets started selling in February, months before the quilt was to be awarded in July. Barbara Downs, wife of rescue captain Mike Downs, saw the quilt on display and raved over its detail.
"That's a really beautiful quilt, I think I'll buy the winning ticket," she said.
Turns out, she wasn't joking. She won the quilt, which raised $1,700 for the department. She was amazed that it perfectly matched the color scheme in the bedroom she and Mike were redecorating.
But as nice as the quilt looked in their Lake of the Woods home, it didn't stay long.
The day after the raffle, Ralph called Mike. He asked if he could buy back the quilt his wife made--he even offered $1,000. As he tried to explain why he wanted it, he broke down.
He wrote a note to the rescue captain the next day. He said his wife's medical condition kept her from stitching, and it would mean a lot to him if her last, and best, quilt could stay in the family.
There was no question what Mike and Barbara, who celebrated their fourth anniversary on the Fourth of July, would do.
"That is a family heirloom that needs to stay in their family," Mike said.
Mike, a lieutenant colonel assigned to the Pentagon, gave the quilt back in grand fashion. He contacted the Hollms' son, Bob, and learned Ralph and Inez had an anniversary coming up, on Aug. 7. He and Bob decided it would be great if Mike and Barbara presented the quilt when the family gathered at the Lake of the Woods Club-house.
Mike even hired a violinist to serenade the couple. At the dinner, the Hollms smiled and clapped and chatted with grandchildren, including one who flew in from Spain.
When Mike and Barbara approached the Hollms with a package topped with a big puffy bow, Inez recognized right away the woman who'd won her quilt. She smiled and hugged her and Mike, and Ralph did the same.
Everyone--except Ralph and Inez--knew what was in the box.
Son Bob tried to read the card Barbara had written, but he got choked up on the part about wanting to do something for the couple who's done so much for others.
As a few of those gathered started to sniffle, Ralph and Inez still didn't know what was happening. When Ralph pulled back the dark pink tissue paper to reveal the quilt, he was speechless. So was Inez.
He unfolded her last masterpiece and stood over her for a moment, as if he wanted to wrap the quilt around her. Cameras flashed. More people sniffled. The Hollms hugged the Downses again and insisted that their sons introduce them to everyone at the table.
Ralph tried to convey how much it meant to have the quilt in the family again, but his eyes filled with tears each time. All he could do was put his arm around his wife of six decades, rub her back and smile.
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com
