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ORDERVILLE - When Stacy Figgins' father died in 1991, she knew there was one final tribute she could pay to him: build him a casket.

Her father, H. Frost, had a wood shop on his property at the edge of the southwest Utah town of Orderville, and had wanted to build his own casket. Unfortunately, he ran out of time.

“He didn't get it done,” Stacy says. “When he died, we came home and built it in this very shop.”

Little did they know it then, but building that casket started Stacy and her husband, Merlin, down a career path. Today they jointly operate Fig's Custom Woodworking out of that same shop. Forty percent of their business involves making coffins.

Reflecting on the construction of that first one, Merlin says: “It helped us with the grieving process. To be able to do one last thing for him was the best thing.”

But the weeklong building process didn't occur without plenty of pressure. “We're talking late hours. I was stressed whether I was going to get it done before the funeral.”

Back then, Merlin was the woodworker, Stacy his assistant. Through the years, though, she too has learned the tricks of the trade. Now, the two work hand in hand.

Merlin says his interest in the craft developed under the tutelage of the late Myles Farr at Fredonia High School, located just across the Utah state line in northern Arizona.

“That's where I learned to do woodworking,” he says. “Fredonia had one of the best programs, and still does.”

Merlin says Farr taught practical applications. His students made things like cedar chests and dressers. And Farr allowed the young Merlin to come in early each day to work in the high school shop.

“You don't find teachers like him any more,” Merlin says, noting that in addition to his skills, he has several tangible reminders of Farr. “I still have my dresser inside. I still have the cedar chest, too. I gave it to my wife.”

But now, instead of cedar chests and dressers, Merlin builds caskets - and kitchen cabinets. He says it now takes about two days to create a casket. “We've got it down to an art,” Stacy adds. We've got to know every piece of the puzzle - that's what it is.”

The caskets are finely crafted. The most popular are those made out of Tennessee Aromatic Red Cedar. Knotty pine is another more economical option. Most are sold through the Dennis Mosdell Mortuary in Kanab, which has sold 200 to 300 through the years. They sell for under $2,000 if bought direct from the shop, slightly more if purchased from the mortuary.

Christian Mosdell, son of the mortuary's owner, said the firm sells eight of Merlin's caskets for every manufactured one.

“We like them because they are handmade and they're a local product. Certain people in this area won't look at any other casket.”

The personal touch is a clear selling point. Stacy's twin sister helps out in that regard, hand-burning wooden plaques that can be placed inside the casket. Whether it is an etching of a piano, an elk or a temple, she can turn it into a highly decorative and symbolic addition.

To help spread the word about their caskets, the couple erected a sign last spring next to their shop along busy U.S. Highway 89, advertising the unusual commodity of handmade caskets. It was an instant attention-getter, with as many as three or four people a day stopping during the summer months. The effect has been so dramatic that the couple plans to build a showroom this spring.

Showroom or not, however, Merlin and Stacy Figgins remain on call, always feeling pressure to complete the next casket. Few are sold in advance.

“People don't [order ahead],” Stacy says. “When they call us, they already have the funeral set.”