Jodi — Dual Cribbage Boards

Jodi reached out after seeing a cribbage board I had made for another family. She was hoping to create something similar — two boards, one for her husband Rob and one for his brother Ken — as Christmas gifts rooted in memories of playing cribbage with their dad.

Malcolm was Rob and Ken’s father — and while Jodi was the one who reached out, the heart of the project was about giving the two brothers a lasting connection to him. As we talked, it became clear this wasn’t just about making boards. It was about honoring Malcolm Wetherell — a father whose presence was deeply felt, whose humor lived on in family stories, and whose voice still echoed in the moments that mattered most.

From there, the project grew into something more than a gift — a way for two sons to stay connected to their father through the game they shared.

Both boards were lovingly crafted from cedar, chosen for its warmth, character, and connection to time. Each board features a recessed card and peg holder, a magnetic maple lid, and a carefully engraved portrait of Malcolm. On the playing surface, beneath his image, is one of the most fondly remembered lines he ever delivered:

“I didn’t know we were having — ‘rice’.”

The line came from a family moment that had become legend — Malcolm’s reaction after discovering one of the boys had broken the spaghetti in half before cooking it. It was the kind of comment that only becomes unforgettable because of who said it.

Inside the lid, Rob’s loving eulogy for his father was carefully condensed and engraved, preserving his words while allowing them to live alongside the game his family shared for years. A discreet QR code was included, linking directly to a video of that eulogy — a way for Malcolm’s voice, and the love behind it, to remain present whenever the board is opened.

When the boards were opened on Christmas morning, Jodi later shared that the moment landed exactly as she had hoped — especially for Rob and Ken. The meaning behind the pieces was immediately felt, and even more so later that day, when the purpose of the QR code was discovered at home.

She wrote afterward to say she couldn’t thank us enough — that the boards created something lasting for her family, and that the care, dedication, and love poured into the work came through clearly. It was, she said, exactly what she had hoped for.

These boards weren’t made to sit on a shelf. They were made to be played, handled, laughed over, and returned to — just as Malcolm would have wanted.