Weiser Army veteran receives Quilt of Valor

After he graduated from high school in 1952, Weiser native John Vernon Kelley worked on ranches for Herb and Lavina Erickson for three years. He would harrow and combine for them.
 He also worked for Frank Hopper for a summer doing the same kind of ranching work outdoors that he enjoyed.  
 After he was drafted into the U.S. Army in April of 1957, his first stop was Fort Lewis, Wash., for basic training. From there he was sent to Fort Riley, Kan., for his active duty service.
 Kelley served in the Army for five years, including two years of active duty from 1957 to 1959 and served another three years in the Army Reserve until he was discharged in 1962 with the rank of E4.
 To honor his military service, Kelley was presented with a Quilt of Valor on Friday at the Weiser Senior and Community Center. During a short lunch program, Kelley was thanked for his service and given a round of applause by the audience. His daughter Kim Gibbs and her husband Cary also attended.
 While in the Army, his duties included driving a truck to deliver a variety of repaired equipment. His unit did continual repair and upkeep of Army equipment.
 Kelley said his time on active duty in the Army was a good experience. He met some good people and was proud to serve his country. He spoke highly of his supervisors on the base.
 His family shared a few memorable stories of his time in the military. Because Kelley did not have rank, he often pulled “mess” duties. There was no way of getting out of that.
 After his military service, Kelley returned to his hometown of Weiser and started employment with the old Weiser Feed in 1959.
 He began a long career of more than 35 years with Washington County Road and Bridge as a road grader operator in 1961. He was recognized for how well he did at the job.
 He married Marilyn Kelley in November of 1960. They had two daughters, Karen Kay and Kimberly. The family moved to the Weiser Flat in the fall of 1963.
 Kelley retired from full-time work with the county in 1996. Often, he took his vacation to drive beet trucks to the beet dump in the fall.
 Purchasing a dry land ranch up Jenkins Creek from Cartter Hilliard was a highlight. He spent much of his life laboring on that ranch. His hobby truly was work, his daughter said.
 He also had a love for high school sports. He can still recall game scores, players and highlights. He will be 85 in September.
 Receiving a Quilt of Valor was a big surprise for Kelley, and he was truly grateful for the honor and the recognition by other veterans.
 He said he appreciates all that fellow servicemen have contributed. He has always said this was the greatest place in the world to be – not just Weiser but the good old USA.
 The Quilt of Valor that Kelley received was made by Trina Leininger. It was the 62nd quilt created by a local group of women quilters and given to Weiser and Washington County veterans since May of 2014. The quilters include Connie Lang, Barbara Goff, Linda Smith and Trina Leininger. The Sewl Sisters quilting group in Weiser also makes Quilts of Valor.
 Donations are welcome by the Quilts of Valor project in Weiser and 100 percent of the money goes to purchase fabric and materials.