Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Don Derrick, a 93-year-old retired carpenter and cabinet maker, showcases his meticulously handcrafted wooden toys and intricate structures, including a Ferris Wheel, a Globe, and a Skyscraper with over 1,600 parts. Despite facing challenges, his craftsmanship continues to bring joy to the hearts of many.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
WILMINGTON — Don Derrick — a cherished resident of Ohio Living Cape May, a former Blanchester resident, and retired carpenter and cabinet maker with decades of experience — is captivating the hearts of both young and old with his exquisite handcrafted wooden toys.
As a longtime carpenter and former cabinet maker for Habitat for Humanity, Derrick’s expertise in crafting fine wooden structures is evident in his new hobby that began during COVID. As the proprietor of JD and Steele Cabinetry, he has brought his remarkable skills to the art of crafting exquisite wooden toys.
When asked about the inspiration behind his newfound passion, the 93-year-old Derrick reminisced about the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During the pandemic, there was nothing to do,” he recalled. “We couldn’t leave or go out, so I needed something to keep myself occupied.”
With the precision and dedication that characterized his carpentry career, Derrick began to fashion a delightful array of wooden toys, puzzles, and intricate structures. His daughter, Jenny Dobbs, shared the story of how it all started, saying, “I ordered him his first toy and had it sent to him, and he was hooked.”
Despite the challenges and a thumb injury he sustained in the late 90s while crafting cabinets, Derrick’s passion for woodworking endured. He recounted that after leaving the hospital on a Monday night, he was back at the shop working by Wednesday.
“It didn’t hold me back,” he said.
In addition, Derrick has macular degeneration in one eye, a condition that has affected his vision, further underscoring his remarkable determination and skill in crafting these wooden toys and structures.
Derrick’s love for crafting has spilled over into the lives of his loved ones, as he generously bestows these creations upon great-grandchildren, great-nieces, nephews, and friends. Jenny Dobbs, Kimball Derrick, and Cindy Wengert, his three devoted children, often visit their father and are witnesses to his remarkable handiwork.
The collection of wooden wonders includes intricate pieces like a Ferris wheel, a globe that took a month to create, trains, and even a skyscraper made of over 1,600 parts. Some components were so tiny that Derrick had to use a toothpick to apply glue and tweezers to hold them, explained Dobbs.
Teresa, Cape May’s housekeeper, also played a memorable role in Derrick’s creative journey. She would often find little pieces he had dropped, and they would share a laugh over the occasional mishaps. It added a touch of humor to the process, as explained by Dobbs.
But Derrick’s greatest satisfaction arises from the joy his creations bring to others.
“I got a lot of enjoyment out of watching people look at them,” he shared. “Everybody would say, ‘I can’t do that,’ and I would say, ‘Oh yes, you can. All you gotta do is do it.’”
As Derrick places his creations on display for Cape May residents to claim, he continues to embody the spirit of giving and spreading joy without expecting anything in return. His story serves as an inspiring example of how even a small act of kindness can have a profound impact.
When asked for advice for those looking to embark on new hobbies later in life, Derrick offered sage wisdom. “Patience,” he said. “You can do anything you want to do. You should turn off the TV and get out of that chair.”
Derrick’s wooden wonders have brought smiles to many, reminding everyone that it’s never too late to embrace new passions.
