Woodworking

Photos by: Sarah Bond

A Lifelong Passion Turns into a Retirement Hobby A Lifelong Passion Turns into a Retirement Hobby

“When Karl retired in 2020, after managing over 100 engineers, he started creating beautiful wood pieces that will live on for centuries,” said Brenda Neely, Karl Neely’s wife. 

A Place to Call Home

Karl Neely was born and raised in Henderson, KY. He has been married to Brenda for 36 years.  They have two daughters, Jessica and Sarah, and two grandchildren. Karl was an owner and manager of Qualex Engineering in Mt. Vernon, Indiana and a civil and structural engineer. His friend/co-worker, Bob Milne, who has now passed, took a risk and bought John Brown. He turned it into Qualex Engineering, and he asked Karl to run it in 1994. After several years, Karl became a joint owner and later on, the sole owner. 

Karl and Brenda bought 20 acres of land in Henderson in 1986 through auction and built their home in 1990. The moment they bought their property, Karl began drawing up the plans to build their forever home. The home they have raised their family in was a project in itself, and Karl was using his love of being a visionary and creator on behalf of his family from the very beginning. 

Looking Ahead

Five years before retirement, Karl chose eight men to purchase his company and two men to run it. Those men eventually paid the company off and the Neely’s were officially no longer part of Qualex. For some, retirement can be scary wondering what you are going to do. This wasn’t the case for Karl. He was excited about all the things he was going to do. Traveling was at the top of Karl and Brenda’s list. Having daughters who live out west and two precious grandbabies, they knew their free time would be spent traveling and visiting loved ones. However, Karl also knew he had a love for woodworking – a hobby that brings him joy. This was something he couldn’t help but plan ahead for – knowing he wanted to bless others through it after he retired. 

A Passion for Woodworking

Karl has always had a passion for woodworking, and he knew once he retired he wanted to focus on that passion – which is why a year and a half before retirement he began working on his shop. “He has put a lot of work into the detached garage on our property in Henderson. It was one of his long-time hobbies to do woodworking, and he had a goal of creating his woodshop and getting into woodworking after retirement,” expressed his youngest daughter, Sarah.

Karl’s mom, Elaine Neely, went on to say, “Karl became interested in working with wood when he attended HCHS. His first project was a gun cabinet made in Billy Joe Crowley’s Carpentry Class, that he made for his Dad. We still have the gun cabinet. His interests have grown, and he knows a lot about wood and its features. Recently, he helped his Dad and me pick out the right wood for the floor that was recently installed at our house. He also made a table that was just the right height for his Dad to use when he cooks in “his kitchen” – which is our garage.” 

Although his daughter, Sarah, made him a logo, Karl only does his woodworking out of the love he has for using his skills as an engineer and putting his creativity to work. The pieces he has made have all been for family or very close friends. Some of his woodwork includes sofa tables, a coffee table, dining room tables, a hanging planter box he was able to work on with Sarah’s husband for their new home and a beautiful grandfather clock. He has also made items for his church. 

Reflecting on the man who raised her, Sarah proudly said, “He is one of the most detailed, hard-working people I know. He’s definitely an artist as well – I think you have to be if you’re a woodworker – but he wouldn’t call himself one. I always say in some ways I feel like there was an instant soul connection, which sounds silly but it’s the only way I know how to put it. It’s no wonder I own my own business. I grew up watching my Dad draw out designs for homes on his big drawing desk in the basement. He designed homes for my aunts and uncles – people he cared about. I like to think I got some of my business smarts and creative heart from him.” Sarah is the proud owner of a photography business in Colorado. As a way to honor her dad, she took photos of her dad in his woodshop showing all the happiness his work brings while allowing her the opportunity to put together a photography project of her dad living out his dream after retirement.  

Brenda explained how Karl always has 2-3 projects going on at once in his shop. His mind is always thinking of what he can make next. It brings him so much joy to make beautiful pieces. His next project is to make a brand new bedroom suite for their master bedroom and a wood top for one of their dining tables. 

Karl’s oldest daughter, Jessica, happily stated, “When my dad was preparing for retirement, he wisely knew it was important to have a plan of how he was going to spend all this new-found free time. This guy can not sit still for long!  Woodworking was a perfect blend of his engineering side and an opportunity to bring more creativity into what he always loved doing. What really made it work was the fact that he could also use his skills to help improve others lives, one of his greatest joys.  He has created two pieces that I benefit from on a daily basis. One is a beautiful desktop that he fashioned into an electric standing desk at the beginning of the pandemic. I was six months pregnant and very uncomfortable sitting all day, so having the ability to change positions really improved my quality of life during a very rough time. The second is our dining room table. My husband and I bought our first home together last year, and my dad wanted to build us a dining room table as a housewarming gift. We designed it together, and it turned out more perfect than we could have imagined. We spend so much time as a family at this table and it will be an heirloom for future generations. Thank you, Dad, for sharing your gifts with us!”

A Family Man

Although Karl held a position of much responsibility within his company,  his family never saw work consume him. When he came home from work, he was home with his family. When they would travel together, he wouldn’t answer the phone. He was able to balance and separate work and family. Brenda gratefully said, “That’s why our daughters love him so much and respect him.” They saw a man who worked hard, but more than anything, loved his family. 

Outside of work, Karl and his family enjoyed traveling – especially spending their summers at Lake Barkley on their boat where they now own a lake house. Brenda laughed thinking back to when Sarah was born and Karl telling her he wanted to get a boat. She said Jessica’s response was, “What will we do with a boat?” The answer was simple – they made lots of family memories. “It was the best thing for our family,” expressed Brenda. Since retirement, Karl is not only able to travel with his best friend, spend more time with family, go to the lake and enjoy a day of fishing, but he has been able to take something he is passionate about and contribute to their family. Karl is interested in making items and using his skillset to bless his family members or close friends.

Brenda explained how Karl is a very considerate husband. As much as he loves woodworking – he never wants to miss time with his wife or make her feel as though he is spending too much time in his shop. He usually only goes out to his shop to work on his projects if Brenda isn’t home, but she loves seeing him finally having the time to do more with a hobby he has always enjoyed. 

They have been blessed with a beautiful life, and Karl was blessed with a special gift and talent. This is only the beginning of this new season of life for the both of them as they enjoy Karl’s retirement and honor all the hard work he put in for their family over the years. Brenda smiled, “If there’s a perfect husband, he’s it!”