Remembering COLTON
ROXANNE BROWN | Staff Writer
roxannebrown@dailycommercial.com
For Linda Mitchell, making quilts for herself and her daughters -- Sarah Jordan and Adria Lopez -- has not only become of way of grieving for the son she lost two years ago, but also as an outlet for reminiscing about some of the things that brought him joy and happiness while he was living.
That's because the quilts are made from her son Colton Robert Rhine's old T-shirts.
"After Colton passed away, they (my daughters) asked me if I had any personal items of Colton's that they could have to remember him by. Since I have been making quilts for years, someone suggested that I make them both a quilt with Colton's old t-shirts," Mitchell said. "It has taken me a while to be able to do the quilts but I am almost done with all three now."
Two years ago, Mitchell experienced something many moms will never have to experience when her 14-year-old son choked to death on a hot dog during his lunch break at East Ridge Middle School in Clermont on June 4, 2010.
Colton had trouble chewing his food because his autism had left him with motor and oral skills problems.
His "brain and mouth didn't connect," Mitchell said previously.
Mitchell said she had a hard time coping with Colton's death.
"It was hard to accept. He survived brain surgery when he was eight, and just to have something senseless like this happen to him ..." Mitchell said.
Making the memorial quilts, however, has become a surprising journey of joy and recovery, Mitchell said.
"(What happened) is sad but I think making the quilts has given me something to do instead of just sitting here thinking about it. It's helped me through the grieving process. I carefully chose T-shirts that had personal meaning to each of us."
The back of the quilts feature tie-dyed material, an important element to Colton, who loved tie-dyed shirts like the ones he'd made at school.
Mitchell said he son was known for wearing his "tie-dye."
After his passing, East Ridge Middle hosted a "tie-dye day" in honor of Colton.
Mitchell said Colton was buried in one of his favorite die-dyed shirts.
The front squares of each quilt alternate between solids and T-shirt designs including an "In-n-Out Burger" T-shirt on each one. That's because Adria, who worked there, would send Colton a T-shirt every year for Christmas.
Sarah gave her brother a T-shirt from Joe's Crab Shack, where she worked, so a crab shack square is incorporated into the design.
Other T-shirts Colton loved are Spider Man and any belonging to the Miracle League -- also known as "The Yankees" -- a local baseball team for the disabled that he played on.
Pictures Mitchell keeps close by show Colton wearing many of the T-shirts she's sewn onto the quilts.
Mitchell said she will be mailing the quilts within the next few weeks.
During an phone interview from California, Sarah said she can't wait.
"I think having the quilt will kind of represent my brother embracing me; kind of like I will be getting a big hug from him every time I wrap it around me," Sarah said.
"Colton would come visit me at the restaurant when I lived in Florida. Everyone there would have to do a dance when certain music came on and Colton would get up and dance with me," she said. "When we were at home, he'd tease me and laugh about it and we'd dance together there, too."
Mitchell said she believes the quilts will help all three of them remember Colton in such a way that they will somehow feel his presence and warmth through them.
Sarah said when she looks at the quilts, she will think of Colton wearing his T-shirts and smiling at everyone.
"Colton didn't talk too much, but he was always smiling and laughing. He was known for that and everywhere we went, people would wave and smile at him and say, "Hi, Colton," she said. "We were always surprised at how many people knew him by name."
Friday, January 11, 2013 - www.dailycommercial.com/11jan2013rem