With the digital rise and increased use of cell phones, fewer people are turning to traditional clocks and watches for the time. That makes Ed Houck’s passion a rare one – he builds grandfather clocks in his spare time.
Ed is 93 years old and—when not on the nearby golf course—regularly works in the wood shop at Friendship Village of South Hills, a senior living community in Upper St. Clair. He’s built three grandfather clocks and one grandmother clock over the last several years. Fittingly, the grandfather has given one of the clocks to a grandchild. He gifted another to a daughter, and plans to give one of the two at his apartment home to a new great grandchild.
The romantic nature of grandfather clocks from literature has fueled Ed’s passion. In addition to his intricate clockwork (which can take several months of time to construct), Ed also builds a variety of furniture, enjoys painting and plays the harmonica. Ed is pretty good at working with his hands. He spent his career as an engineer building brick plants in the Pittsburgh area.
