Quilter of the Year 2019

Posted on August 14, 2019 Updated on June 28, 2020

I’m Ann Hockmeyer, the 2018 recipient of the Quilter of the Year award. As the current honoree of this special designation, I have the privilege of choosing and awarding this year’s honoree. This award is given to a member who’s gone above and beyond the normal level of volunteerism. It is given to those who are dedicated to serving the guild and working tirelessly in any way they can.

Before I call her up, I would like to take a moment and recognize the past recipients. This is an extraordinary group of women that over the years have donated their time and talent to our guild. If I call your name would you please stand and remain standing until I’ve called all the names. The list of honorees begins in 1984 with Betty Hastings followed by, Joanne Finacaro, Pat Beevers, Sue Pickering & Gail Wozniak, Priscilla Trolan, Judy Hilner, Signe Kaleel, Judy Rutstein, Linda Boyle, Ildy Tary, Valerie Kelley & Gladys Sirois, Diana Dow & Kathy Pearse, Ruth Martineau & Jeanne Robertson, Marianne Karp, Andrea Bursaw & Sue Molin, Jeanne Eliot & Pat Lucey,  Roseanne Ricketson & Maggie Judd, Rosalie Berard & Carrie Zizza, Beverly Valle, Suzi Calderwood, Mary Ginn, Deb Zukas, Catherine Harnisch, Ann Stobbs & Mary Stobbs, Lin Caido, Nancy Dempsey and Liz Swan.

Please give all these ladies a well-deserved round of applause!

The woman that is receiving this year’s award serves the guild by chairing not one but two positions and co-chairs another. She stepped up and said “I can do it” when no one else would. Both positions generate much needed revenue that we all benefit from, and under her leadership, the revenue received increased from past years. She finds the time for MVQ even though she works full time and cares for her busy family. I know that she also volunteers her time for other charities as well. She’s a very giving person!

I think her most amazing skill is that she accomplishes difficult jobs with the most engaging smile. She will forge ahead, figure it out, get it done and still keep smiling! A true testament of her uber friendly and warm personality is the posse she has around her. Her wonderful posse is a group of devoted friends who help her do the guild’s work. She would be the first to say that she couldn’t do it without them but she’s a true leader and isn’t afraid to take on all the responsibility.

She is the only guild member that I know of to actually suffer true physical harm doing the guild’s work as she suffered a broken arm while carrying boxes down some stairs for the ufo auction!  I think that she’s extraordinary and I’m so proud to call her my friend!

 This year’s recipient is Stacey Caruso!