Tulare County DA reminds families 'sawubona' during 2022 memorial quilt unveiling
Families and friends of those slain in a violent crime gathered at the Visalia Convention Center Monday night for the annual memorial quilt unveiling ceremony.
For more than 20 years, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office has honored National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with a memorial quilt of squares representing those whose lives ended in violence.
“Every year, new families are welcomed by survivors who sadly have experienced the very specific and overwhelming type of grief you share,” Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward said. “No family is or should in any way ever feel alone in your sorrow.”
Since 2000, families and friends of the victims have joined together with advocates and prosecutors at a community ceremony to remember those lost all too soon.
For the last five years, Garden of Hope Ministries’ Judith Stone has volunteered to make quilts for impacted families. The nonprofit makes quilts for people facing all kinds of hardships; however, making this year’s quilt was especially difficult, she said.
“This year's quilt touched us more personally,” Stone said. “One of our quilting members... was honored on the quilt. This quilt never gets easier to make, but this year was particularly emotional.”
Kathleen VanDyke, a Garden of Hope member, spoke to the crowd Monday night, walking people through her grandson John’s life.
He loved breakfast, but pancakes and sausage were his favorite. At night, his mother Sarah would read books to him, ending each evening with “Goodnight, Johnny Tractor.”
VanDyke recalled the day she received a call from a detective telling her John was missing. “Those are difficult days,” she said. “The emotional ups and downs that we have all experienced in this room, praying for the best, fearing the worst.”
A few days later, her phone rang again. Detectives had found her grandson's body.
“Our lives were completely shattered,” VanDyke said. “We cried until we couldn’t cry anymore... there were no tears.”
John died in 2019 at 2 years old. He is one of 22 people represented on this year's quilt.
Following VanDyke's speech, Ward asked the family of those who has lost someone due to violent crime to stand. One by one, row by row, groups of families stood up.
"Tonight I began with 'sawubona,'" Ward said, referring to a Zulu greeting. "'The greeting translates into 'we see you'... You are seen, your grief is seen, your love is seen, and your loved one will be seen."
Here are the names of the 22 individuals represented on this year's quilt:
Timothy Tyler Emmett Lewis, 33
Robert Jr. Soto, 41
Richard J. Sanchez, 32
Louis Muñoz, 57
Kevin Robertson, 31
Julian Lopez, 66
Joziah Blase, 1
Joshua Simmons, 41
Jose Carlos Hernandez, 19
John Weir, 2
Jesus Corona, 23
Jennifer Sue Pinkham, 23
Isaiah Rule, 18
Dominic Harris, 39
Katelyn Huanaco, 6
Destiny Huanaco, 8
Dale Allan RedDay, 49
Brandon McCarron, 35
Blake Alan Medeiros, 19
Barbara Ann Tanner, 46
Angel Mojarro, 14
Alyssa Marcial, 5 Weeks
For more information on the quilts, contact the Tulare County District Attorney's victim/witness assistance division at 636-5471. To see a virtual representation of this year's quilt, click here.
Lauren Jennings covers education and news for the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register. Follow her on Twitter @lolojennings. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County DA unveils memorial quilt for violent crime victims
