Cinerary Urn

This urn was made to house the ashes of a gentleman from East Troy Wisconsin who passed away in 2016 . The deceased lead an extremely active lifestyle which included a 30+ year career as a high school shop, small engines and gym teacher as well as a wrestling, football and hockey coach in addition to being an avid wood worker. Starting hockey at a young age, he eventually became a semi-professional hockey player in Milwaukee and was inducted into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. He was a founding member of the youth hockey club SHAW and after his hockey career he was a referee for the Milwaukee Admirals, a semi-professional hockey team. In living on a lake his entire life he was also a prolific waterskier.

Portrayal of motion coupled with a juxtaposition of materials were the driving considerations for the initial design. It was necessary for the opposing materials, metal and wood, to work together to create a whole. In honor of Jim's favorite type of wood, the urn began as a simple oak box crafted in the Mission style of the American Arts & Crafts movement.

Extending from the oak box is a brass Latin cross serving as a reflection of his religious beliefs while the aluminum is a visual representation of motion and activity. The movement and rhythm of the aluminum crescendos in the center where the brass bar extends up to the cross piece.

This urn has a single compartment. Once the ashes are inserted and the lid is placed on the box the fingers of the aluminum and brass mate with the dato grooves in the oak base and seal the box.