‘Remember when ...’

BUDA — Ron Skaggs had close friends, as well as two brothers, who passed away far too early in life. During the funerals of his companions, he said he felt like something was lacking, so he took it upon himself to give families a personal heirloom they could truly appreciate.

Skaggs woke one night with an idea he couldn’t ignore, and he went out into his workshop and took his first attempt at bringing this fresh idea to life. He wanted to build caskets like no one before him had.

“I was always into building things, including our house,” Skaggs said, adding a lack of money has a way of making you learn how to do things on your own. “I had built things out of barn wood previous to the caskets, but they weren’t real challenging or rewarding. I wanted to make something people would enjoy — a little closer to their heart.”

Skaggs got to it, and Coal Creek Creations was born. Skaggs has a calm wisdom about him and knew he needed to offer something a little different to be noticed, so he integrated a gambrel roof design into his caskets ... but he certainly didn’t stop there.

Nothing is pre-cut, so Skaggs begins by selecting barn wood or western cedar boards that will match and look nice together. He puts two antique brass locks on the caskets with brass skeleton keys for family members to keep as a memento. He uses a Computer Numeric Control machine to carve out images on wooden plaques — picking corn, combining beans, fishing or deer and duck hunting scenes — and hangs it on the open lid before offering it like an American flag is given to the spouse of a military member.

He places hooks on the interior of the open lid to hang an old farmer cap or a lady’s apron, and he also puts two adjustable hooks on the front of the casket … used to display a cherished firearm, a favorite fishing pole, or something of sentimental value. Iron handles handmade by a respected local blacksmith add a perfect touch to the authentic beauty of the caskets. His wife, Brenda, designs the interior cloth and pillows with love.

“I’m not about mass production just to make money. The funeral home directors said no one in 30 years ever stopped and complimented the casket until I came along, so that hits the nail on the head of what I’m trying to accomplish,” Skaggs said, noting he relies on word of mouth for advertisement.

The caskets take about 50 hours each to assemble, which makes production more challenging because they are built one at a time. Yet the barn wood casket copycats that spring up seem to worship the assembly line, and their products look that way.

While driving a truck through his younger years — rolling down 4,200,000 miles of accident-free roadway — Skaggs felt like he was always in a hurry. The last five years his body and his perspective have asked him to slow down. His sons, Riley and Ryan, help Skaggs offer the best aspects of a family business … an environment of love, and a mindset of productivity.

“My dad was a very handy man, and I was able to take all he taught me and pass it on to my children,” Skaggs said, noting Brenda came up with the phrase, “Thank God for the life I was given” that is carved into the plaques around the scene if the family so desires.

Another phrase — “Remember When” — is a trademark of Coal Creek Creations, which is carved into the lower center of every casket if desired. A somber scene is suddenly broken with light when someone says … remember when he fell into the pond, or backed his car into the tree … and the morbid tension in the funeral parlor melts away, leaving only a celebration of life.

When his brothers died, the flowers soon wilted and the family split the bill; but Skaggs had nothing tangible to hold on to, simply the affection for family members he will never forget. The barn wood caskets are Skaggs’ way of giving families something more … while accepting nothing less.

“One day is all you have to show people what this person did with his or her life, so that’s what we’re trying to help these folks do,” he concluded. “It’s a perfect way to send them home.”

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