Quilt stitched with love

As the family of Marine Corps Lance Cpl. John Lucente spent Friday planning his funeral, Nevada County residents rallied to support a young man who gave his life while fighting in Iraq.

Lucente, 19, a 2004 Bear River High School graduate, died Wednesday with three other Marines in Ubaydi, Iraq, near the Syrian border as part of Operation Steel Curtain, according to the Department of Defense.

Lucente died from wounds he sustained after being hit by an enemy hand grenade. He is the second person in three months with Nevada County ties to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom since the war began in March 2003.

Andy Owens, general manager of Hooper and Weaver Mortuary, said Lucente's family has yet to finalize funeral arrangements. The family is planning a graveside service at a location to be determined once Lucente's body comes home.

Lucente's family "is doing amazingly well. They're very proud of their son, and that comes through really strongly," said Owens, an ordained minister.

Friends and strangers streamed Friday through the ground floor of the Rood Administrative Center to write condolences and best wishes on a handmade quilt and handkerchief sewn by Nevada County residents Gina Gippner and Debra Pardee, who are affiliated with Friends of Nevada County Military.

The quilt will be displayed today from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Grass Valley Elks Lodge and on Sunday from 10 a.m.-noon at Calvary Chapel Grass Valley on Wolf Road.

Messages of hope and love for the fallen Marine dotted the quilt Friday afternoon.

"One of the greatest people to ever grace the earth," one person wrote in black ink. "You will be missed every day."

"For those who have fought for it," wrote John Casci, "freedom has a flavor the protected will never know."

District 2 Supervisor Sue Horne greeted well-wishers searching for the right words to place on the quilt.

Horne sat at the quilt table as the mother of U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Horne, who befriended John Lucente at Bear River. Both young men graduated the same year.

Michael Horne is stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas, and leaves Nov. 29 for Iraq, his mother said.

"It's an honor to sit here and play a tiny part in bringing some comfort to something that's so hard," said Sue Horne, who, like Lucente's family, lives in Lake of the Pines.

Melodie Steger, who was eating lunch in the Rood Center's cafeteria, said she planned on signing the quilt.

"My heart goes out to the family, and I just thank the family for allowing us to be free," she said.

Linda Anderson said she planned to sign the quilt, but wasn't sure what she'd write. Her ex-husband served two tours in Vietnam.

"There's a big quilt out there with lots of space," she said. "Maybe I'll just tell them 'don't lose your memories.'"

Fred Buhler, co-founder of Friends of Nevada County Military, said he's noticed people simply want to do their part to help a family in need, just as they did in the days and weeks following the Aug. 3 death of Nevada Union graduate Adam Strain, 20, a fellow Marine who was the first person with Nevada County ties to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"The response of this community has been terrific and it reflects the type of community we have here," said Buhler, a veteran who offered his banking expertise to the Iraqis last year. "We care about each other and support each other through times like these."

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To contact staff writer David Mirhadi, e-mail davidm@theunion.com or call 477-4229.