MONROE - From one piece of fabric an entire quilt is made. The first piece directly or indirectly touches every other piece. Without the first piece, the other pieces are meaningless.
A quilt can symbolize the life of Dorothy Chesebro.
She touched so many lives, her daughter, Jan Olson said.
Dorothy was involved with 4-H for many years. Many of the people who learned the value of the organization have gone on to teach others the importance of family and community. She also was a member of Green County Homemakers.
Family and community were important to Dorothy, Olson said.
"She has a gift for caring about her family, her neighbors and her community," Olson said. "Whenever a new neighbor moved in, she was always the first to take them a casserole or a dessert. It was important for her to know her neighbors."
Dorothy and Monty Chesebro have been married for 64 years. For most of their lives they lived on their family farm north of Monroe on Wisconsin 69.
"They'll never make another one like her," said Monty, who now lives at St. Clare Friedensheim. "She was always there to help me milk cows or make hay. She never had a cranky word to say. She was always busy."
She also was known for her quilts, which Olson described as a "labor or love."
"She made them for friends and family. A lot of people received them as wedding gifts and on other special occasions," Olson said.
Dorothy now lives in the Pleasant View Nursing Home.
It was only fitting, then, that to honor their mother's life, Olson and her sister, Nancy Faith, decided to make a barn quilt. It was something they could do to show their mom how much she meant to them, how much she inspired them to be like her and to thank her for everything she did for them over the years.
Olson got the idea at the Green County Dairy Breakfast in May. The idea for barn quilts came from the University of Wisconsin Extension office and Kris Winkler and Lynn Lokken had some information about them at the breakfast. There already were a few barn quilts displayed in the county and Olson thought it would be something to put on the barn at the family farm, now owned by her and her husband Sylvan.
Olson picked out the pattern she wanted and called on her sister and their families to help.
On Labor Day, Olson, and her daughter, Jill, daughter-in-law Dana, and granddaughter Molly; along with Faith and her daughter Cathy Kehoe, daughter-in-law Terry Faith and granddaughter Natalie, worked at the Pleasant View barn to paint the quilt.
It was a chance for the women in the family to get together to do something special, Olson said.
They spent the day painting the quilt the colors Olson picked and worked hard to make sure it was ready for Cheese Days weekend. They wanted it on the barn by the time the county's largest festival took place so that others could see it and understand why they had it made.
Sylvan Olson and Bob Faith, along with Kevin Winkler and Jerry Lokken, mounted the quilt to the barn a few days before Cheese Days. The quilt is easily seen from the side of the road.
"The first night we put it up a couple of people stopped and asked us about it," Olson said.
By explaining why they made the quilt, what it stands for and who it honors, Dorothy's children can continue to spread her belief in family and community.
A quilt can symbolize the life of Dorothy Chesebro.
She touched so many lives, her daughter, Jan Olson said.
Dorothy was involved with 4-H for many years. Many of the people who learned the value of the organization have gone on to teach others the importance of family and community. She also was a member of Green County Homemakers.
Family and community were important to Dorothy, Olson said.
"She has a gift for caring about her family, her neighbors and her community," Olson said. "Whenever a new neighbor moved in, she was always the first to take them a casserole or a dessert. It was important for her to know her neighbors."
Dorothy and Monty Chesebro have been married for 64 years. For most of their lives they lived on their family farm north of Monroe on Wisconsin 69.
"They'll never make another one like her," said Monty, who now lives at St. Clare Friedensheim. "She was always there to help me milk cows or make hay. She never had a cranky word to say. She was always busy."
She also was known for her quilts, which Olson described as a "labor or love."
"She made them for friends and family. A lot of people received them as wedding gifts and on other special occasions," Olson said.
Dorothy now lives in the Pleasant View Nursing Home.
It was only fitting, then, that to honor their mother's life, Olson and her sister, Nancy Faith, decided to make a barn quilt. It was something they could do to show their mom how much she meant to them, how much she inspired them to be like her and to thank her for everything she did for them over the years.
Olson got the idea at the Green County Dairy Breakfast in May. The idea for barn quilts came from the University of Wisconsin Extension office and Kris Winkler and Lynn Lokken had some information about them at the breakfast. There already were a few barn quilts displayed in the county and Olson thought it would be something to put on the barn at the family farm, now owned by her and her husband Sylvan.
Olson picked out the pattern she wanted and called on her sister and their families to help.
On Labor Day, Olson, and her daughter, Jill, daughter-in-law Dana, and granddaughter Molly; along with Faith and her daughter Cathy Kehoe, daughter-in-law Terry Faith and granddaughter Natalie, worked at the Pleasant View barn to paint the quilt.
It was a chance for the women in the family to get together to do something special, Olson said.
They spent the day painting the quilt the colors Olson picked and worked hard to make sure it was ready for Cheese Days weekend. They wanted it on the barn by the time the county's largest festival took place so that others could see it and understand why they had it made.
Sylvan Olson and Bob Faith, along with Kevin Winkler and Jerry Lokken, mounted the quilt to the barn a few days before Cheese Days. The quilt is easily seen from the side of the road.
"The first night we put it up a couple of people stopped and asked us about it," Olson said.
By explaining why they made the quilt, what it stands for and who it honors, Dorothy's children can continue to spread her belief in family and community.