Three years ago, Chad and Shane wanted to pay a special final tribute to their dad and his fight of "cancer on two wheels."
As Chris fought over the years, his body was less able to handle riding his bike, even though he desperately wanted to continue. Eventually, his bike stood in the garage, unused. Their desire was that their dad, though absent in body, would be able to roll out with them for one last ride. So exactly one week after he passed, down to the minute (Saturday at 7 a.m. and his usual ride time), Chad and Shane rolled for a lap around the neighborhood with his bike, each carrying one of his favorite jerseys.
Shane then had the honor of taking Chris’ bike on a proper ride to Lake Lavon, a common route for the three of them. They recognized that though cancer took his body, their dad lives on in spirit and in the legacy he passed on to them. Chris would have really enjoyed the beautiful morning ride with his boys.
A month after Chris passed, Shane made a pocket wallet/money clip. The front has Shane's own initials "CSH." He said, “This was not only a chance for me to try something new, but also a chance to remember my dad. This was the first piece of leather I've tooled since he passed away last month. My dad was the one who got me started with leather work years ago and taught me as much as he could. Over this last year as I began to develop my abilities more and sell work, I always went to him to get his opinion. It will be very difficult moving forward not being able to do that anymore. The design on the front is my homage to the traditional western style he always used. The flower in the bottom right is a small part of the design on the last wallet he started, which remains unfinished. The reverse is completely dedicated to his memory, including his favorite passage from the Bible, and his signature. Photo credit goes to Chad Haga, who is now learning my dad's other passion for photography.”
Shane has continued to improve his leathercraft skills on his own and began his own leatherwork business in 2017 in homage to his father.
You can see his now phenomenal worksmanship on his website homageleatherworks.com. Keep in mind, everything is hand stitched.
TO SEE SAMPLES OF MANY OF SHANE'S OTHER CREATIONS ALL IN ONE PLACE, CLICK ON THE INSTAGRAM LINK BELOW:
instagram.com/homageleatherworks/
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the products or services I have mentioned (I'm just proud of my son's work). I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."