Raymond Wilckens 1941 - 2011

This page is dedicated to the Heart & Soul of Wilckens Woodworking. In September of 2011 the woodworking world lost an icon. A person who touched countless lives doing something he was truly passionate about. Dad had a simple philosophy….one that I have adopted as our company vision statement….'We don't have customers…we have Friends'. Any of you that knew Dad have received one of his hand written notes that he sent out or have sat with him on the phone on more than one occasion. He was the happiest when he could share with others the craft in which he was so good at.

For me it was more than losing an icon….it was losing my Best Friend….the person I looked up to….my guiding hand….my woodworking partner….my Father.

From the early years of my life you could find me by Dad. Whether it was the countless evenings we spent fishing, racing or working on cars, I was rarely more than two steps behind him. And as I grew up he didn't always have the answer but he was always there and whichever path I chose, he supported me. As a kid I would go to work with him to his machinist job on Saturdays and sit on his tool box and he would answer ever stupid question I threw at him….this never ended. That was the kind of man he was, he loved being able to show others how to do things or answer their questions.

Dad was born to Marceline & Walter Wilckens on February 9th 1941. He grew up, went to school and ran around Concordia and Higginsville Missouri where he met Mom. They were married in May of 1961 and celebrated their 50th Anniversary in May of 2011 with their family and friends. Dad worked at several different machine shops around the area. One of which I was lucky enough to work with him at. He held positions from machinist to tool & die to supervisor and was even the on staff medical (nurse) for awhile at one of the shops.

Then on May 23rd 1999, he had an accident on a ladder while re-hanging a bird house. The limb snapped and the ladder fell causing a compound fracture to his leg. This slowed him down for a long time because of the exterior fixater that he had to wear while it healed. But as soon as he could get back behind the saw, he did.  Unfortunately he was never able to return to the work force and from then forward he spent all of his time and energy doing woodworking.

In closing, the best tribute we can do for Dad is to continue supporting Scroll Sawing and to bring it to the younger generations so that it lives long and remains as one of the popular disciplines of woodworking. Thanks Dad for all you've brought to any of us that you have touched throughout the years….you will be missed.