At Randolph’s Custom Caskets, every piece we craft embodies a story of skill, of legacy, and of a profound understanding of what truly lasts. Sometimes, those stories are woven from threads pulled straight from our own family’s history, in ways you might not expect. This is one of them.
A Connection Forged in Wood: The Phillips’ Legacy and Woody’s Craft
For generations, our family has had a deep connection to the land and the materials it provides. I remember, as a young boy, going at different times with my great uncle, my granddad, and my uncle to visit Bud Phillips, a titan in the lumber world. Bud, a man known for his astute business sense, ran sawmills and held vast tracts of land, cutting a grade of lumber you rarely see today. He was a close friend of Old Man Woody, the meticulous artisan behind Woody’s Chair Shop in Spruce Pine, NC, a place renowned for its quality chairs. Bud would custom-cut the finest timber for Woody, which was then air-dried and kiln-dried in Woody’s own buildings, ensuring perfection for his craft.
The Unlikely Discovery: ”Gray” Wood with a Soul of Purple
Years later, after Woody’s Chair Shop had ceased operations, it was acquired by people we consider family. Then came a call: “Interested in some old lumber? They’re cutting up some ‘gray’ 2x stock for firewood, not sure if it’s good for much, but thought you might be interested.”
When I pulled in, a helper was cutting what looked like dull, weathered 2x stock into stove-sized pieces. His priority was clearly heating the building, and he believed the “gray” appearance meant it was past its prime for other uses. But a craftsman knows. I took a piece of that “gray” wood to a belt sander, and as the dull outer layer stripped away, a deep, rich, vibrant purple hue began to emerge. It was unmistakable. This wasn’t just any wood; it was beautiful, valuable lumber that had simply oxidized on the surface. Its stunning shade of purple perfectly complemented the aesthetic that defines our Randolph’s Custom Caskets brand.
What they saw as kindling, we saw as history, a true treasure. I asked seriously how much they wanted for it, noting their plans to burn it. We struck a deal: a couple of pickup loads of firewood for a full pickup load of boards. In the end, we took six heavily overloaded full-size pickup loads of that extraordinary wood, saving it all except for a few cherry boards his wife had set aside.
The Lumber That Defied Disaster
This newfound lumber quickly became a cornerstone for our early work, used for countless caskets and almost all of our urns. Amidst it all was a small, precious stack of black walnut 2x’s. We planned them, sized them, and moved them around the shop, waiting for just the right project. As any woodworker knows, you never have too much storage for lumber, and eventually, we moved a handful of these black walnut boards, along with a few finished caskets, into our spare bedroom for safekeeping.
Then Hurricane Helene hit in September 2024. Our workshop and most of our lumber suffered significant damage. But the small stash of black walnut boards, safely tucked away in our house, remained completely untouched. It was the only lumber we had that survived the Disaster unscathed.
Lessons Learned, Connections Endured: A Tapestry of Time
The story of this lumber is just one thread in a larger tapestry of resilience and unexpected connections that stretch across generations. Nearly ten years ago, during my time acquiring Right of Way for NCDOT, I met Allen Phillips, Bud’s son, in his sawmill office. On his wall hung a framed aerial map of a sprawling property. After our greetings, Allen looked at that map and recounted a profound lesson from his father, bud, during the acquisition for Interstate 26. “They are not going to get another inch of our property,” Bud declared, walking away from the table. The result? A very large tract of land that could only be accessed by helicopter, all because his father wouldn’t negotiate. “That map,” Allen told me, “hangs there to remind me to never leave the table, always be willing to negotiate.” That powerful story stuck with me, a stark lesson on how we hope our children can learn from our mistakes without having to make them themselves. Our business concluded quickly as he directed me to his brother, who owned that specific property.
Then, in early October after Hurricane Helene, as we were expanding our supply distribution to neighboring counties, we stopped at a center to see if they needed supplies. We were told to wait just a minute and you can speak with Allen. The story he had told me almost a decade earlier instantly came back to mind. As we shook hands, I could tell he recognized me but couldn’t place when or where we’d met. I reminded him of our encounter over the Right of Way claim and the story of his dad. He instantly chimed in, recalling the right of way claim ended up being with his brother. We spoke for a few minutes; he introduced us to his son and daughter. He shared that he was looking at the ten-year impact of the hurricane and was starting the Appalachian Rebuild Project, a non-profit dedicated to addressing the long-term issues in our community. A project we support and are involved with.
It’s a testament to how truly small our world is, and how a seemingly short story, a powerful lesson learned in a single moment, can resonate and lead to profound connections that impact your life in unexpected ways. This continuous unfolding of relationships and wisdom is a vital part of the legacy we live and build every day.
A Legacy Reborn: Tools from History, Built with Providence
Now, that very black walnut lumber, salvaged through such a unique journey, will find its ultimate purpose. We’ve unearthed a couple of our casket building tools that we thought were lost to the floodwaters. Some hand tools and an old hand plane, passed down through generations of master craftsmen, damaged by the flood, and their wooden frames need replacing. This special black walnut, with its signature color, will become the new heart of these ancestral tools.
This isn’t a setback; it’s a profound opportunity. We’re not just restoring tools; we’re weaving generations together. We’re building new tools infused with our family’s deep history and our unwavering skill, literally using materials that embody our brand’s essence. At Randolph’s Custom Caskets, every challenge only deepens our resolve to craft beyond the extraordinary. This is how legacy truly takes shape.
This story is just one chapter in the ongoing legacy of Randolph’s Custom Caskets. For exclusive updates on our restoration projects, behind-the-scenes glimpses of our craftsmanship, and more stories of skill passed down through generations, follow us on Facebook!
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