Barbara is a passionate writer and animal lover who has been professionally blogging for over 10 years and counting.

One year after Scott Neilson, a father of three, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he died from a cardiac arrest.


Scott’s passing at age 46 was sudden and unexpected, and his loving family was absolutely crushed.

Since Scott passed away without life insurance, his family knew the final expenses were going to be very costly. But since Scott was also a skilled home builder who came from a family of talented contractors, there was one surefire way to reduce the funeral costs.

His siblings came up with the incredible idea to get together and build Scott’s casket with their bare hands.


There was no better way to honor his and his family’s love of building and construction.

The day before Scott’s funeral, his family gathered in the back of a Home Depot in Vancouver, Washington, and got to work.

Everyone was involved in the DIY casket, and they shared stories about Scott while working on the creation. “Whether it was staining, drilling holes, or the final layer of fabric, we all took part,” said Scott’s brother, Kent.

Home Depot was wonderful in providing the space to build the casket and donated all of the necessary materials to the family. Employees who had gotten to know Scott over the years also stopped to help.

Just wait until you see what the casket looked like when the family finished. This is incredible!

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