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Family honors grandma's memory by displaying all of her quilts at her funeral

Margaret Hubl used her quilts to communicate her love for her family, and her family used them at her funeral to honor her memory.
/ Source: TODAY

Margaret Hubl passed away last July in Nebraska at the age of 89, but it’s safe to say her legacy will continue to live on.

You see, Hubl was a quilter. While some people make quilts as an afternoon pastime, she made them to communicate her love for her family.

This was very clear at her funeral, when her children and grandchildren decided to drape all of the quilts that she had made over the backs of the pews.

Margaret Hubl's quilts were draped over each pew at her church to honor her memory.
Hubl's quilts were draped over each pew at her church to honor her memory.Courtesy of Christina Tollman

“Never did I imagine how many there were,” Hubl's granddaughter, Christina Tollman, told TODAY. “We covered almost every single pew in that church. I never knew how many she actually made.”

And while the quilts are special, the meaning behind them really takes the cake.

Hubl spent her life caring for her family. She had three children of her own, and then took in her sister-in-law’s twins after a tragic accident. Hubl and her husband, Henry, raised all five children in a small three-bedroom home on their farm.

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Hubl initially started sewing in order to make clothes for her children, but as they grew up and had kids of their own, she had to make those kids something as well.

That’s where the quilts come in. She started making them for each grandchild as they graduated from high school.

Some members of Margaret Hubl's family saw their quilt for the first time on this day.
Some members of Hubl's family saw their quilt for the first time at her funeral.Courtesy of Christina Tollman

“She wanted us to have something to wrap up and keep warm in when we went away to school,” said Tollman.

Hubl really thought about each person who would be receiving the quilts, too.

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“When we sat down to go through her things we found this — I call it a pocket notebook. Inside it says whose quilt she was working on, what day she put it in the quilt frame and which day she took it out,” explained Tollman.

And as Hubl’s children began to take care of themselves, she began putting more time into the quilts. They became a treasured gift for each grandchild on their wedding day.

Margaret Hubl wrote the day that she started each quilt, and the day she finished. The top says, "Put bow tie quilt in Feb. 13-
Hubl wrote the day that she started each quilt, and the day she finished. The top says, "Put bow tie quilt in Feb. 13- '99 finished Jan. 2000."Courtesy of Christina Tollman

“I actually have three cousins that are not married, and the day of her funeral was the day that they got to see their quilts for the first time,” said Tollman. “That was really kind of a neat moment.”

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All of those hours and all of the thought — it was all worth it. Hubl's family now has something to hold on to, to wrap around themselves whenever they need to feel the comfort of their loved one. So while giving a quilt may seem so simple, it certainly stands out as one of the most thoughtful gifts.

“This is the love that Grandma made for each of us. This is what she made for each of us to wrap up in when we hurt,” said Tollman. “When we miss her.”