Features
Carving out memories
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| Ruth May Smith, 98, gets pleasure from continuing her late husband’s woodcarving hobby. |
Woman carries on with her husband's woodworking hobby after his passing.
By Ani Amirkhanian
Glendale native Ruth May Smith wanted to keep her husband's memory alive after he died.
Smith's late husband, Frank Smith, was known for carving wooden canes.
Ruth Smith, 98, gradually picked up on the hobbyand decided to carve other creations.
Every Thursday, Smith gets together with her woodcarving group at Sparr Heights Community Center and works on her pieces.
She carves plaques, animals and people out of shaped pieces of wood.
Smith, a Montrose resident, not only keeps up with her hobby, but she also enjoys spending time with people who have the same interest as her, she said.
Glendale News-Press news assistant Ani Amirkhanian sat down with Smith at Sparr Heights Community Center and asked her a few questions about her hobby.
When did your husband start carving canes from wood?
About seven or eight years ago. He could do anything, he was very artistic. He centered on mostly canes. We gave a lot of them away. We were very generous with our canes. All of our family members have one of our canes.
What do you enjoy most about woodcarving?
I enjoy the people. They are a friendly group of people. They are helpful. They show me how to do it. It's nice to be involved with people like that. They are a lot more talented than I am.
Did you take woodcarving lessons with your husband?
We came to woodcarving at the [Sparr Heights] senior center. I like doing plaques because they are easy to do. They have a lot of talented wood carvers, but I'm not one of them.
What are you working on now?
It's sort of a plaque; it's a chickadee in a tree. It's real cute. I told one of the members that I like to do things like that. So he brought me a plaque with a tracing on it for me to work. I have a picture of a chickadee. I have something to go by.
Do you think woodcarving is a lost art?
I don't' think so. I don't know much about it. It's good for all people. It's really wonderful for the brain. We are supposed to keep our brain working all the time.
How does woodcarving help keep your husband's memory alive?
I don't know, it's just one of those things. Our birthdays were the same day, he was a year younger than me. I just remember him. It's just, his memory is into me. I don't necessarily have to woodcarve to remember him. He was the kind of guy in that whatever he wanted to do, he wanted me to go along and do it with him. I was always involved with him; he wanted me to be a part of him. He enjoyed my company and I enjoyed his company, too. We were two of a kind.
Smith's late husband, Frank Smith, was known for carving wooden canes.
Ruth Smith, 98, gradually picked up on the hobbyand decided to carve other creations.
Every Thursday, Smith gets together with her woodcarving group at Sparr Heights Community Center and works on her pieces.
She carves plaques, animals and people out of shaped pieces of wood.
Smith, a Montrose resident, not only keeps up with her hobby, but she also enjoys spending time with people who have the same interest as her, she said.
Glendale News-Press news assistant Ani Amirkhanian sat down with Smith at Sparr Heights Community Center and asked her a few questions about her hobby.
When did your husband start carving canes from wood?
About seven or eight years ago. He could do anything, he was very artistic. He centered on mostly canes. We gave a lot of them away. We were very generous with our canes. All of our family members have one of our canes.
What do you enjoy most about woodcarving?
I enjoy the people. They are a friendly group of people. They are helpful. They show me how to do it. It's nice to be involved with people like that. They are a lot more talented than I am.
Did you take woodcarving lessons with your husband?
We came to woodcarving at the [Sparr Heights] senior center. I like doing plaques because they are easy to do. They have a lot of talented wood carvers, but I'm not one of them.
What are you working on now?
It's sort of a plaque; it's a chickadee in a tree. It's real cute. I told one of the members that I like to do things like that. So he brought me a plaque with a tracing on it for me to work. I have a picture of a chickadee. I have something to go by.
Do you think woodcarving is a lost art?
I don't' think so. I don't know much about it. It's good for all people. It's really wonderful for the brain. We are supposed to keep our brain working all the time.
How does woodcarving help keep your husband's memory alive?
I don't know, it's just one of those things. Our birthdays were the same day, he was a year younger than me. I just remember him. It's just, his memory is into me. I don't necessarily have to woodcarve to remember him. He was the kind of guy in that whatever he wanted to do, he wanted me to go along and do it with him. I was always involved with him; he wanted me to be a part of him. He enjoyed my company and I enjoyed his company, too. We were two of a kind.
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