A man’s artistry lives on in wood and cyberspace

WAUPACA – Ted Mallasch passed away in December 2024 at the age of 90. His friends and family gathered together this summer at Silver Lake Lanes in Scandinavia to celebrate his life’s work: hundreds of his woodcarvings were on display. He carved funny-looking men, tall-tale fishermen, lanky hunters, cowboys, Indians, pigs, birds, horses and dogs, lots of dogs. It was a small sample of the thousands of carvings he produced over the years. When he was asked what his favorite piece was, he would reply, “The piece I’m working on right now.”
He spent 38 years as a union carpenter and didn’t begin woodcarving until he retired at the age of 62. He gave away or sold most of his work and the 250 pieces displayed at the celebration were all that remained in the family’s collection.
“Although Ted loved carving, his greatest joy came from sharing his creations. He often said there was no better feeling than seeing someone’s face light up when he gifted them one of his pieces,” said his son Todd Mallasch.
The Mallasch family has assembled and photographed the woodcarvings of Ted Mallasch into an online gallery that can be viewed at www.woodcarvingbyted.com.