I retired in 1993 from teaching, and I have also been a pastor and a builder in Rockland, Michigan. But when I retired, I didn’t find anything that really fit for me.
Woodworking had always been a hobby – cedar chests, tool chests, boot boxes. I have been building things since I was 12. I am pretty much self-taught. I built my first house in 1971, after losing ours in a fire. A builder suggested I rebuild it myself and showed me the basics. I got some of my students at the time to help out.
One day, my father Gerben said to me, “Just so you know, I want to be buried in an oak casket.” I remember asking him if he knew how expensive that would be and he said, “I didn’t plan to buy one; I expect you to build it.”
That was the first casket I built, back in 2004, when my dad died at the age of 94. I have been building caskets and urns for families and friends ever since. The second one I built was for my stepmother. I only had five days to build it, so I had help for that one.
In all, I have built eight caskets and I also build urns, turning them on my lathe. Right here in our basement, I have a white casket with redwood handles that were once part of my wife Genevieve’s quilting frame. She’s spoken for that one. My wife and a sister-in-law pitch in on the quilting that lines the frames. I think they do beautiful work.
It’s not something I advertise, but if someone is in need - maybe they can’t afford one from the funeral home - I do my best to help out. It is a hobby that does somebody some good besides me.