By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

Mary Ann Lienhart-Cross presented World War II veteran Merlin Yoder with a Quilt of Valor for his honorable service. InkFreeNews photo by Keith Knepp.

NAPPANEE — Mary Ann Lienhart-Cross presented Nappanee resident Merlin Yoder with a Quilt of Valor during a ceremony held Thursday, Oct. 26, at Dutch Village Restaurant. Yoder, 98, is a World War II veteran who served from Jan. 1945 through Nov. 1946 and was in the Pacific Theater in 1945 when the two atomic bombs were dropped in Japan.

Lienhart-Cross’s quilting group “In the Bend” has presented around 500 handmade quilts to honorably discharged veterans and active duty service members since it began in 2015. For information about the group or to nominate a local veteran, go to facebook.com/groups/578345986582581, or search Facebook for Quilts of Valor: In the Bend.