Preserving Memories, One Square at a Time

The end of June also brought an end to Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, but there is no end in sight for Alzheimer’s Disease — robbing those living with it of their memories.

Alzheimer’s took Wayne Coin’s life in 2013, giving his granddaughter, Courtney Makus, an idea to help keep the memory of him alive: a quilt made by Wayne’s high school sweetheart and wife of 52 years, Joyce Coin.
The quilt would be made of his shirts.

Joyce and granddaughter Courtney got busy cutting the seams and sides of the shirts and working on the design. Joyce added an extra special and sentimental detail, a shirt pocket to hold a pocket square.

Courtney requested her grandpa’s signature be embroidered on the back of the pocket square, which Joyce created from an old signature stamp from his former secretary. Joyce stamped the quilt and embroidered over the stamp for a lasting signature.

Joyce has also completed a similar shirt quilt for the couple’s daughter Amy Makus and has plans and enough squares left over from Wayne's shirts to make one for their other daughter Robin Keller as well as two
throws for their sons Brad Coin and John Coin.

Joyce, who has lived at Vintage Hills at Prairie Trail in Ankeny since January, has been quilting for more than 20 years and started through a circle at her church in Missouri. She plans to keep pursuing her interest and
enjoys the support and encouragement of her fellow quilters and neighbors at Prairie Trail.