Featherweight and Singer 301
A Singer Featherweight is a great choice. It will hold up to many more years of use and one can service it without a technician. No quilter would object to a Featherweight. In fact, it is a machine to be prized. It has a feed dog system which gives extreme precision in piecing.
I also urge you to consider a Singer 301/301A. It is very similar to a Singer 221 Featherweight but more versatile. It weighs about 4 pounds more but those pounds deliver the ability to free moton quilt or line quilt with a walking foot. It will be cheaper than a Featherweight.
I cannot free-motion quilt with my featherweight as it doesn't cooperate very well. However, I use the 301 all the time for FMQ. I have quite a few machines, and it is my favorite. I use it for piecing constantly. And I line quilt with it. With attachments (also true of the Featherweight) one can zig zag after a fashion and do other stitches.
Vintage machines, especially Singers, cannot be beat, IMHO. The quality is built in.
Your wife is a lucky lady to have such a thoughtful husband.
Cricket