Ashes to Ashes And a Box to Keep Them In

I've been involved with woodworking in some form for a very long time.  Over the years, I've been asked to do tings for people, build furniture, refinish furniture, repair items, carve a special item.  I've sold many of my works.

But I recently received a phone call asking for something that was a first for me:  the caller asked that I make a box to contain the ashes of a cremated loved one. I was certainly intrigued so i made an appointment to meet and discuss the project.

I met Judy McCreery and her daughter, Jennifer Morgan at Judy's home.  Her husband, Jon, died recently and was cremated.  Rather than scatter the ashes, Judy chose to keep them and wanted a special container for them.  She also wanted a container big enough so that when she died, her ashes would also be placed in the box.

She and Jennifer had searched the internet for a box and found many of the size and basic shape they wanted.  Many boxes can be purchased with a theme meaning that if the deceased was a sailor, one could be purchased with a scene of a sailboat on it, a golfer could be placed in a golf themed box.

None of the ones found on the internet matched Jon so they wanted one to show Jon and Judy's interests and nothing quite fit.  That's where I came in.

Most of us have at some point been involved with the planning of funeral arrangements and meeting with a pastor who would get the family to talking about the deceased to get to know him or her better.  This is exactly how I felt in our meeting.  I had to get to know a man I'd never met so I could design the perfect box for him and keeping in mind the box was also for Judy.

Jon was a creative doer.  By that I mean, if he wanted a gate for the driveway, he built it.  Not just any gate, but a well designed, well made, attractive gate.  When it came time to make a new mantle for the fireplace, he designed and built it along with a surround for the fireplace.

I was shown these and other things that Jon built.  One of the favorite activities of Jon and Judy was to sit on a bench they had in their garden and watch the hummingbirds at their feeder.  This bench was at the end of a long pathway made of bricks that Jon laid.

Since Jon was a woodworker and had a supply of wood, I was asked to incorporate some of it into my design.

Jon was also a doodler, stopping to sketch items that caught his fancy, often working on a napkin or any piece of paper that might be handy.  One such drawing that is prized by the family is a group of rose bushes drawn on a yellow legal pad.  While Jon would have never consider this art, his loved ones cherish the image.

Judy asked that I somehow include Jon's birth and death dates, her birth date and their marriage date.Within a few minutes, I felt I had an idea what I wanted to do.  I left to put together a design and proposal.

My research led me to design the size of the box to accommodate the ashes of two people.  An interesting fact, a cremains container must provide 1 cubic inch of capacity for each pound of the deceased's weight at the time of death.

I spent several days working with my drawing table and then on my computer using a program called Sketchup.  This is the design I arrived at.

The blank white space is where I would insert the scene I carved.  I took this image and the drawing of what I proposed to be carved to meet with Judy and Jennifer.  I'm always nervous when I present a proposal to someone, not knowing if I'm on the right track or how it will go over.  When the tears started flowing, I knew I was on track.

The finished box is pictured below.

 The low relief carving of a man and woman on a bench reflects Jon and Judy's love for their garden and sitting at their favorite spot, watching the hummingbirds.  Their gate, complete with supporting bricks columns, sits at the end of their brick path, emblazoned with their names and dates, symbolizing their journey through life and to eternity together.

Jon's drawing of the roses bushes is copied on the lower right.

Jon's wood is used for the splines that help bind each of the four corners together, providing strength.  It is also used as the cap of the box's top.

I delivered the box last week.  I spent many hours over two months working on every detail.  It was all worth it when I finally got to present it and see their appreciation, and tears.

In some ways I felt like I got to know Jon and wish I had met him while he was alive.  With our similar interests and tastes,  think we would have gotten along just fine!