Grieving B.C. father finds healing by building coffins to help others through loss
Philip Thompson is in the midst of an unexpected journey, powered by his perspective on one’s purpose.
“I think that problem-solving is what our whole life is about,” Philip says.
It’s why he inspired high school students to seek solutions as a design and technology teacher, and encouraged his four children to be practical and self-reliant.
“My natural way is to solve my own problems,” Philip says.
But then Philip’s life took a sudden turn after getting a call from one son about another.
“Dad, there’s no easy way to say this,” Philip recalls his son saying over the phone. “But Nathan’s died.”
Philip’s 20-year old son had died unexpectedly while living abroad.
“It shook my whole world,” Philip says.
By the time he could make it from Canada to Nathan’s funeral in England, everything had been arranged. Philip felt he had no part in planning it.
“I wish I had done more,” Philip recalls thinking. “How can I make this up to you?”
Philip struggled to find a solution for years until he found the courage to start having vulnerable conversations about grief with others, and found more than a couple members of his community had wished they’d been able to participate more fully in a funeral too.
“And I thought, ‘Yeah, I could solve that.’” Philip recalls. “I could make coffins.”
Although Philip had never built anything like a coffin before, he was a life-long woodworker.
So he consulted experts along the way and constructed his first coffin with an oak exterior and a plush interior.
“I did it with my head and my heart and my hands,” Philip says. “As fully as I would have done for my own son.”
Philip designed it with easy-to-turn screws on each corner of the lid so family members can be part of the process in a practical way, like he wished he would have with Nathan.
“I will never stop loving Nathan,” Philip says. “I will never get over a sense of loss.”
But after making three custom coffins for people he knew, and now selling this fourth with the hope of helping another family, Philip’s grief has diminished.
“I realized Nathan — you’d be really proud of this,” Philip smiles. “And son, I’d be really proud if you were really proud as well.”
Proud to know that his dad is learning to live through loss, and find healing through helping others.
“We are here to solve problems for people,” Philip says of his life’s purpose. “For the whole world.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6962275.1720822968!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Alec Baldwin weeps in court when judge announces involuntary manslaughter case dismissed mid-trial
A New Mexico judge on Friday brought a sudden and stunning end to the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin, dismissing it in the middle of the actor's trial and saying it cannot be filed again.
'He was loved': Family members devastated by death of Toronto man allegedly swarmed by teens
Family members of a homeless Toronto man who died after police allege he was swarmed and stabbed by a group of teen girls say the thought of his last moments haunts them.
'I told you it wasn't a dream': Ontario couple retires after winning $55-million Lotto Max jackpot
When the $55-million Lotto Max jackpot they won was finally deposited in their bank account, Laurene Shail and Doltan Hawk couldn't help but be overcome by emotions and hug each other.
Video released of wild police car chase involving white Lamborghini north of Toronto
Police north of Toronto have released dramatic video of a car chase that led officers across York Region in pursuit of a Lamborghini SUV that was clocked at speeds in excess of 200 km/h.
A B.C. man owes $27,000 in COVID benefit repayments. He's fighting back and is not the only one
A Vancouver man is fighting back against the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) claims that he wasn't eligible to receive COVID benefits during the pandemic and owes the government more than $27,000.
Calgary man wanted on Canada-wide warrant for murder
Calgary police have released the photo of a man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for first-degree murder.
What a geriatric doctor wishes you knew now for healthy aging
Longevity isn’t just about living a long life but also about living well. More than one in five Americans will be 65 or older by 2040, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects.
Girl, 12, kicked out of Quebec karate class for wearing hijab: human rights commission
The Quebec Human Rights Commission is seeking $13,000 for the family of a 12-year-old girl who was kicked out of her karate class for wearing a hijab.
2 bodies of people believed to be from B.C. wash ashore Sable Island, N.S.
Nova Scotia RCMP say a boat containing the bodies of two people believed to be from British Columbia washed ashore the Sable Island National Park Reserve earlier this week.