Veteran receives Quilt of Valor for his service in World War II
It was a surprise for Noble W. “Spark” Hand. His daughters and son had come over to his Bremen house in November on one of those warm days before Thanksgiving.
It was nice to see the family. But there were several strangers there, too. He had a quizzical look on his face. Who are these people?
Everyone was there for the presentation of the Quilt of Valor to the World War II veteran. A red, white and blue hug for him.
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Son Rick Hand and daughters Barbara Green and Sheila Schrader watched as Mary Ann Lienhart Cross, of Elkhart, from Quilts of Valor unwrapped the quilt and gave it to Noble.
That brought a smile to his face. The quilts are given to comfort and heal those who were touched by war. More than 320,000 quilts have been presented nationwide since 2003.
Noble’s great granddaughter Oceanna Schrader had heard about the quilts and made sure her great grandfather got one of them.
Daughter Sheila said he was so proud of that blanket. “He loved it. It was very special. It touched his heart.”
That November day, he chatted about life in Bremen and was looking forward to spending time with family during the upcoming holidays and his 100th birthday in April. There was a big celebration at 99 already last year.
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It wasn’t meant to be. He died on Dec. 13 in his home. His memorial service was this past Saturday, Jan. 14.
The family members were sure he would make his 100th. “He wanted to make it to his birthday,” Sheila said. “He walked every day. He worked outside into his 80s. Loved hunting. He was a wonderful father. He and our mother, Martha, were such good examples.”
Noble, also known as “Spark,” was born in Bourbon and graduated from Bremen High School in 1943.
How did you get the nickname “Spark?” “I threw a spark plug at my brother and hit him in the head,” he said. Good arm.
Right after graduation, he was drafted. But first, before going to basic training, he married Martha Porter. They were married 75 years. Spark remembered seeing her in school. Martha was the new girl in the hallway. “I told my friend I was going to marry her,” he said. Good job.
He served in an Army gun battalion in Europe. He arrived just before the Battle of the Bulge. Later, he was in the military police. He recalled the sounds of war and his friends. “We had a job to do, and we did it the best we could do.”
Yes, they did.
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Time to catch up with stories about a few friends who deserve an extra word or two.
Gary Lippincott was a friend who worked at The Tribune. He died on Dec. 30. He was 65. He worked in several departments — pressroom, circulation and mailroom. After the paper, he had several jobs and was involved in his church.
First off, he was genuinely a nice guy.
Back in the days, the paper had two softball teams and a bowling league. Everyone interacted — every department got involved. It was a friendly place to work. Everyone knew Gary and knew his laugh.
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One of his friends at the paper, Dave Godollei, remembers that he got along with everyone and was a good family man. “He took care of his wife, Brenda, and then his parents. He raised their son, Morgan.” Brenda died in 2002.
Over the years, he would see Gary at cross country meets for St. Joseph High School and fishing trips. “Those trips mean a lot of cigars and laughs.”
Mark Waite, another Tribune alum, said Gary didn’t have a mean bone in his body. “I hadn’t seen him in years, but I saw him just before Christmas.” He saw him in 2021 at Halloween. It was just like old times when he talked with him. “He was a family guy, a good man. Very level headed. Too nice to be a boss.”
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Sister M. Georgia Costin died in November at St. Mary’s Convent. She was 99 and was a member of the Sisters of the Holy Cross for 81 years. She was born Sara Jane Costin in 1923.
Her father was Jim Costin, who was a sports writer at The Tribune and was well known for his work. He often covered the famous South Bend Blue Sox games in the 1940s.
Sister Georgia’s work took her to many places. She taught and worked in prison ministries. Later, she was in the archives and records in the congregation’s offices. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because she wrote several books about the founding of the congregation.
During an interview about the history book, Sister Georgia filled me in about some early journalism days and her father.
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Did you miss me? Nah. I’d guess not.
You can contact Kathy at Kfborlik@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: World War II veteran receives Quilt of Valor
