That's terribly sad for your friend, and a good reminder for all of us. I've had a couple of those in the last 6 weeks as TWO people from the school I work in passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. One had a bacterial infection that his body could not fight off, the other was killed when snow from his room fell on him. Enjoy today; you don't know what might be around the corner.
Still, once your friend has adjusted to her new reality, I believe it will give her some joy to know that you are using some of her precious quilting things. Maybe you could make something and donate it to an organization that is special to her.
Thank you for reminding us to work on doing things that we might be putting off.