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There are good people all around us.
Steven and Brenda Hoyt of Kendallville found this out recently after fire tragically gutted their home. No one was injured, but the family lost priceless possessions.
While searching through ruins Brenda Hoyt miraculously found her late father Leonard Stafford’s funeral flag. He was a veteran of the Korean War.
The Hoyts thought the fire had certainly destroyed the flimsy, cloth flag. It was in one piece but dirty. “It required dry-cleaning, but we realized we didn’t have a clue about getting it folded,” Steven Hoyt wrote in a letter to the News-Sun.
Now this may seem a trivial matter to some, but to the Hoyts, especially Brenda who received the flag at her father’s funeral, it was important to return the flag to its proper folded state after getting it cleaned.
One of Steven Hoyt’s friends suggested he contact the American Legion Post. Hoyt went to Post 86 in Kendallville and one of the patrons who happened to be a Korean War veteran, agreed to fold the flag properly as a surprise for Brenda Hoyt.
The following day Hoyt dropped off the flag and noticed in the legion post foyer locally crafted cases for flags. “I thought it would be a nice touch to give my wife the folded flag in a case,” stated Hoyt. Thoughtful idea, but he planned to give the folded flag to his wife at dinner that night.
The limited time didn’t deter Hoyt, and as it turned out didn’t deter the good people who helped him.
Hoyt called the phone number on a business card with the flag case display and spoke with Jack Traxler. He agreed to show Hoyt what he had with no prior notice. “I purchased a beautiful wild cherry wood case from him but decided it needed a plaque as well.”
Traxler recommended Hoyt try Timothy’s Jewelry Repair and Service at 115 S. Main St. It was late in the afternoon, and Hoyt thought the shop might be closed for the day. He stopped by the business five minutes before closing time. “I was sure the plaque would not be a possibility at such late notice,” stated Hoyt.
He explained his situation to shop owner Tim Schlotter, and Schlotter stayed past closing time to make a plaque for Hoyt.
With the plaque, flag and case, Hoyt returned to American Legion Post 86 where a patron placed the flag into the case and agreed to present it to Hoyt’s wife when he brought her in for dinner.
Hoyt returned home and together with his wife went to the legion for dinner. “After we arrived and sat down, I asked our waitress who could barely contain her smile if we could see one of the flag display cases up close,” wrote Hoyt. Brenda Hoyt began telling others at the legion about the fire and the flag and how it needed to be folded.
One of the patrons brought a flag case with a folded flag in it to the table.
“My wife was commenting on how beautiful it was when she noticed the name on the plaque. Her eyes welled with tears and she covered her mouth with her hand. She was astounded,” wrote Hoyt. “All the effort was worth it to see that expression on her face.”
This poignant moment wouldn’t have been possible without the help of patrons at the legion post like Sam and Carol, Tim Schlotter and Jack and Nancy Traxler, wrote Hoyt.
Korean War veteran Leonard “Dobro Jack” Stafford’s funeral flag now rests in a cherry wood flag case.
“The goodness that is the very heart of Kendallville beats strong and true in each and every one of these fine people,” wrote Hoyt. “May God bless them all.”
Good people are all around us.
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