Longtime Cullman County residents John and Jill Strickland experienced the unthinkable when they lost their college-aged son, Cullman High graduate Connor, 21, in a tragic car accident in 2016.
From the loss of his life, a legacy of wood-working was created in AHugandILoveYou Woodcrafts & More – Jill said it’s grief therapy for her and her husband.
“We have always enjoyed crafting and woodworking, but only did so for making gifts or items for our home,” Jill said. “Our children Connor and Audrey were our biggest supporters. Connor especially encouraged us to sell our items, but we always resisted.”
After Connor passed, John and Jill decided to honor him with a scholarship in his memory created by Jill’s co-workers at Wallace State Community College, where she taught.
“We turned to our crafting and woodworking as therapy to deal with our grief,” Jill said. “We then decided to sell items with the proceeds going to Connor’s scholarship.”
They were not able to see Connor graduate college (he was a junior at UAH when he died), but thanks to the love, generosity and support of so many, they get to see two students each year reach their educational goals through Connor’s scholarship.
“What started as grief therapy 10 years ago is now a creative outlet that gives back to the community by supporting education,” Jill said. “The Future Foundation at Wallace State Community College that oversees the scholarships does a great job connecting us with scholarship recipients and gives us opportunities to get to know the students each year. Many of the students still communicate with us today and have shared the desire to contribute or create a scholarship for future support of a student as their own way of giving back.”
The name AHugandILoveYou came from her late son, whom Jill said was a big teddy bear of a young man.
“He was a hugger and was generous with his ‘I love yous,’” Jill said. “He never left without giving those he loved a hug and saying, ‘I love you.’ That’s who Connor was. It’s a simple reminder that none of us are promised tomorrow. We don’t use it in order to gain sympathy or invoke reactions, but simply to honor Connor’s memory. Imagine how much better the world could be if we were all more generous with our hugs and love.”
Although wood-working is one of the main focuses of the business, Jill said one of her favorite things to do is painting barn quilts.
“We were honored to be asked to create a barn quilt and a stand for a local business (Sew Blessed in Dodge City),” Jill said. “We also love the swing varieties we offer: single-seat tree swings, porch swings and our favorite: bed swings. What we love is helping clients create a special place at their home for relaxation and connection – something that was always important to Connor and to us. The last couple of years, our bestsellers have been bread boards, charcuterie boards and serving trays that can be engraved.”
John shared that Connor was a helper, the kind of person who would lend a hand without any reservations.
“He was an Eagle Scout (the highest ranking one can achieve in Boy Scouts) and he truly upheld the 12 points of the Scout Law: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent,” John said.
“He believed everyone deserved to be treated fairly and justly. Once as a little boy, we had friends who had sold their house and were moving – this was happening during Christmas time. Connor heard them mention that they weren’t going to have a Christmas tree (simply for logistics and ease during the transition),” he continued. “That upset Connor that they would not have a tree, so he convinced us to take him to CVS to buy a small, decorated tree for that family. Connor couldn’t stand to see people going without. He also never hesitated to stand up for what was right, even if it was an uncomfortable or unpopular stance. He was a leader in Scouting, in his high school band and amongst his friends in college. I believe I can honestly say his friends all knew he could be counted on. In fact, we are so blessed to remain in contact with his friends and they all will gather at our house around the time of his passing and birthday every year. We are so grateful for them all.”
Jill shared that although they would give anything to have Connor back, they are proud that his legacy and light still shine through at his scholarship at Wallace State.
“We intend to always keep our business small and side hustle focused on giving back to the community in the way of supporting students,” Jill said. “Connor’s scholarship is now endowed, which allows us to also support local Boy Scouts and his high school band, which were two things that were very important to him and us.”
For more information or inquiries, visit www.instagram.com/ahugandiloveyou_woodcrafts or email JohnWJill@bellsouth.net.
A simple way to honor Connor daily?
“One of his pet peeves was shopping carts left out in parking lots,” Jill said. “He would often go pick up every one of them and put them in their proper place. If you’d like to honor Connor, put up any empty buggies you see.”
