How do you thank a firefighter for his sacrifice? When the Milton community wanted to reach out to injured firefighter Daniel Lyon, words weren't enough. Instead, they're using patches, thread and hours of time in a labor of love.
The Friday Friends Quilters are working on the project at the Milton Senior Center. There might be a bit of friendly competition between them when it comes to how many quilts each woman makes..
"Depends on how many new babies," Connie Mayor said with a laugh. "I don't get as many done as she does," Mayor said looking over at Mary Ann Morris.
Morris disagreed, saying Mayor makes more. They also debate how long they take. "I got you beat with that one that took me five years," Mayor said.
But their current project is a group effort. "Probably the most important," Mayor said.
"Most important," Morris agreed. "It's a labor of love."
The Milton Police Department put out a call for police and fire department patches when their reserve officer Daniel Lyon was severely burned fighting a wildfire. They hoped for enough to make four quilts. They wound up with 360 patches.
"They kept coming in," Mayor said. They came from around the state, the country and the world.
"This one is from Australia," Morris pointed out. There are patches from Oregon, California, Florida and all over Washington state. There are enough patches to make four quilts and four bed runners. Lyon will get one set. The others will go to the families of the fallen firefighters, Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Tom Zbyszewski. Lyon will present the quilts at an upcoming memorial service.