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BIOGRAPHIE: The North Scott Press 11/12/2008 1:00:00 PM Christian craftsman uses his own designs Long Grove woodworker finds higher calling in building furniture for church By: Barb Geerts of the NSP LONG GROVE - Don Keding isn't the type to sit idle. So when the 78-year-old Long Grove man quit his "paying job" due to health reasons a few years ago, he promptly went headlong into his hobby of woodworking. These days, he's been using his talents to create furnishings for his church, Long Grove Christian. Keding made a cabinet and a reception table for the fellowship hall, and most recently completed a display case built in memory of Elizabeth White, who attended the church. "I have no blueprints. It was just off the top of my head," Keding said of the oak case, which holds photos and mementos from the church's long history. Fellow congregant Connie Schnoor did all the finishing work for the piece, he noted. The reception table Keding created also was a memorial; the piece was donated in memory of member Blanche Baughman. Keding considers the hours spent creating such furnishings to be part of his gift to the church. The self-proclaimed handyman suspects it won't be the last piece he does for Long Grove Christian, where he and his wife, Marlys, have been members since moving to the area in 1977. He's happy to help out. Keding said he took up woodworking in earnest after retiring from his job as a bus driver with Tri-State Tours. Earlier, he had been employed by Farmall-International Harvester, which closed its doors. "All the jobs ran out and I had to find something to do," joked Keding. "I took myself off the road and started building stuff .... It gets me out of the house." Keding already knew a thing or two about carpentry, having served on a building crew right out of high school. "When you built a house (in those days), you did everything. My boss, he was very meticulous. If you didn't do it right, you took it out and did it over. That's where I learned how to do kitchen cabinets." Reviving those long-dormant skills, he said he "started with simple things: I made a bookcase." The projects got more elaborate as time went on, and soon he was creating cabinets and decorative furniture for family members and friends. "I started out with a 'honeydo' job in Nevada (where daughter, Cindy, resides)," said Keding. With nothing more than a description of the project given over the phone, he created an entertainment center for her. The couple transported the piece there in person - no delivery charge required. The craftsman also built a kitchen cupboard system for his brother in Oklahoma which was delivered in five pieces. The reassembled furnishings fit the space perfectly. In addition to commissioned pieces, Keding has made furniture as gifts for weddings and other occasions. "He usually comes up with the designs. He designs everything himself," his wife said. That's accomplished often with little more than a rough idea of the dimensions of the desired item. "They tell me they want something 'so high and so wide,'" he remarked, using his hands to mark the size. Keding has kept an album of photos of his creations, including a favorite hall tree made to look like a pool cue. "I let my imagination run away with me once in awhile," he said, smiling. "If they can't find (a piece) anywhere else, they come and see me." He's made many items for the couple's four children: Steve, of Wheeling, W.V.; Julie, who's a missionary in Africa; Cindy, of Henderson, Nev.; and Randy, of Bettendorf. Of course, you'll find some examples of Keding's work right at home. "A lot of our furniture is handmade - not all of it, but a quite a bit," Marlys noted. Don's hobby offers him plenty of flexibility, he says. He might spend all day working on a project, or put in just an hour here and there, depending on how many other household jobs need doing, he said. "Every three days, I've got to mow the lawn," he declares.
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