My mom told me that her dad and mom used to help make caskets for some of the folks who could not afford a regular casket. I don't remember if mom ever shared the reason why this task fell upon her parents, but I do recall her saying that there were many tasks that her father took care of since he served as a minister and the president of the coal miner's association for several years.

She shared one specific memory with me and my siblings:

When mom was a young girl, she had received a small doll. The doll came with a silk blanket and pillow. She kept them for several years.

A few years later, she was returning home from a date. The house was dark. She didn't want to wake up anyone, so she left the room dark as she entered. She came into the house through the kitchen door. As she walked across the floor, she stumbled into something. She turned on the light to see what she had run into, and there she found a small wooden casket lined with her doll's silk blanket and pillow.

Her father had built the casket for a small child. Her mother had taken the blanket and pillow to line the casket.

Read more about mom's parents:
| CHRISTIAN & or HARRIS | HIGGINS #1 |