Portland Area Veterans Honored by Harmony Quilters at VFW Post 4090

Eight Portland Veterans were presented on Saturday with beautiful quilts made by a local group of thirteen women who have formed Harmony Quilters. The local group, led by Portland resident Ann Fedewa, is part of the national Quilts of Valor Foundation (QOV). A Quilt of Valor is a quality, handmade quilt. It is awarded (it is not a gift) to a Service Member or Veteran who has been touched by war. Each quilt must be a specific size and must have a label with required information. The QOV Foundation began in 2003 and is headquartered in Winterset, Iowa.

“This is the third year we’ve done this”, Fedewa told the Beacon. “These quilts are intended to recognize veterans for their service.” On Saturday, seven of the Veterans honored were from the Korean era and one from the Iraq-Afghanistan period.

The seven veterans honored, from the Korea era, were Phil Spitzley, John Moyer, Felix Hernanadez, Dick Lawless, Joe Klein, Barry (Bud) Moyer, and Fred VanAmburg.

Colonel (Retired) Judy Fryover, the only woman recognized on Saturday, served in the Army Reserves from 1989-2013. Judy worked for almost 35 years as an RN for Sparrow hospital, but now holds an MSN and is a Nurse Practitioner. During her professional nursing career at Sparrow, Judy served four military deployments for the Army Reserves, including two in Iraq.