Jerry and Deborah are now retired from their business lives, but are still actively working with wood. The only changes post-retirement are that neither actively runs the business. Both still do woodworking, Jerry still turns for fun, and both are still active on the water.

As their post-retirement project they built a boat! Click here for more pictures of the Helen Mae

Below is our story, as it appeared here for years:

Jerry Kermode is a full time woodturner and teacher working out of his home studio in Sebastopol, California, with his partner and wife, Deborah.

During childhood summers spent in Huntington Beach, California, Jerry developed an early fascination with form and function, watching and surfing the waves and building miniature boats. Since then he has shaped surfboards, larger boats, world-class sailboard centerboards and houses, consistently bringing forms from the sea to his work.

During the early 1970s Jerry began incorporating his fascination with turning into his work while specializing in Victorian restoration and boat work in Santa Cruz, California. In 1978 Jerry and Deborah moved to Hawai‘i, where they continued their woodworking and remodeling business together while raising their son, Walker, and enjoying the openness of beach and sea at their feet. In 1984 Jerry began turning bowls from freshly harvested Hawaiian trees, becoming a full time turner in 1991. The bowl, or as it is called in Hawai‘i — the calabash — caught Jerry’s attention when a neighbor introduced him to native woods. The cherished calabash culture in the Islands was the perfect place to nurture his new passion.

Jerry and Deborah have developed their love of native woods and turning into a full time business. Jerry’s vessels are available nationally and he has become a much sought after teacher. Deborah administrates their company and burnishes the final waxing into the bowls.

In the summer of 2000 Jerry and Deborah came home to the cooler climate of Northern California, but this did not stop them from continuing their love affair with the sea and outdoors. Both can be seen zipping across Bodega Bay on their sailboards and Jerry is an avid surfer and mountain biker. Jerry plays guitar and sings, while Deborah practices yoga and dances hula. Son Walker has grown up, moved to Ashland, Oregon, married and become a professional bassoonist and teacher. He still surfs, windsurfs, bikes and skis. They all remain best of friends.