‘Gilla Ann’s Quilts:’ how one woman lost to EKY’s deadly flooding is being remembered
One Breathitt County woman, who was lost to the deadly flooding, is being remembered by her family through her legacy in the community and a love for quilting.
CLAY HOLE, Ky. (WTVQ) – As the people of Eastern Kentucky continue to rebuild, the stories, life lessons, and impact of those lost continue to come to light.
One Breathitt County woman, who was lost to the deadly flooding, is being remembered by her family through her legacy in the community and a love for quilting.
According to Gilla Ann Noble Patton’s son, Robert Patton, there’s a home in Clay Hole, Kentucky with a beautiful swinging bridge.
That’s the home Gilla Ann called her “castle.” Robert Patton says he remembers the home fondly, and recalls playing along Troublesome Creek in Clay Hole growing up.
“It was, it was beautiful. Beautiful scenery. The hills are beautiful around there. We loved growing up there,” said Patton.
Patton says Gilla Ann lived in Clay Hole her entire life.
Sadly, tragedy hit during July’s flooding. With her family unable to get to her in time, Gilla Ann passed away at 83 years old, trapped in her house as it flooded.
“Being 83 years old, she’s not going to be able to swim the distance that it would take to swim to get away from it. So she had to just stay in place and stay higher up. She had her shoes on, she’d put her purse up high on the cabinets, so she was trying,” said Patton.
As fate would have it, in August, volunteers with Helping Hands visited her home to help clean up. One volunteer, Ruth Ann Baxter of Nicholasville, found her collection of hand-sewn quilts by chance.
“The gentleman I was working with said, ‘Don’t open those. Anything in there is ruined,’ and I just couldn’t help myself. And when I opened it up it was full of black water. And when I reached in and pulled out the quilt I knew this was a special thing,” said Baxter.
Baxter says it took her several days to clean and restore the quilts, delivering those and a letter she’d written, entitled ‘Gilla Ann’s Quilts,’ to the Patton family, in hopes that just a little piece of her might lift their spirits after her passing.
“I felt a higher power helping me. It makes it feel like I know Gilla Ann a little bit,” said Baxter.
Gilla Ann’s son, Robert, says he hopes people continue to remember the survivors of the deadly flooding as recovery continues, urging people to help where you can.
“People are still living in tents. People still don’t have water…they don’t have running water yet. The whole area was just destroyed, the infrastructure, the electricity was lost. People’s homes were just washed away. So it’s going to take a long time to completely rebuild everything,” said Patton.
