People of the Palouse

Dwight Renz

What does courage mean to you? Wikipedia defines it this way: Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in battle. Law enforcement and our first responders have this trait. But what about the everyday individual? The person where this is also their way of life, and once you know their story, then you realize what courage means to them. With that, I am honored to introduce you to Dwight Renz; one of Onaway’s everyday heroes, husband, father, supporter of school functions, cemetery board commissioner and a genuinely kind soul.

As I sat down with Dwight in his kitchen, his engaging manner immediately drew me in as I listened to his story. Dwight is an identical twin, and is quick to say he is the “better looking one” as well as the baby of the family that includes an older brother and two older sisters. Growing up on the family farm was an idyllic childhood. He says being a 10 year old boy with time to roam the Palouse River that ran through their property as well a few ponds kept him happy and busy. His dad was a craftsman woodworker and his mom was a stay-at-home mom who lovingly took care of her brood. School vacations meant that he and his brothers worked alongside their dad doing everything but sheetrock, plumbing and electrical. It was from this time in construction that Dwight fell in love with everything that involved wood. The other love of his life is his wife Susan, whom he married 5 days after she turned eighteen and have celebrated 36 years of marriage producing one son and two daughters. Dwight & Susan now enjoy and get to love on 8 grandkids. Their home showcases cabinets and home décor that he crafted. Then the conversation turns to Dwight explaining why exactly he was in a wheelchair. Dwight’s 3rd love is his job as a supervisor at Bennett Lumber Products, Inc. grading lumber. He leans back and says that after his shift on April 16, 2021, he knew something wasn’t right. The pain in his hips were beyond excruciating. He was no stranger to hip and joint pain, as this heredity ailment meant he had already endured several joint replacements that included knee replacements. But this pain was different, and despite being in the throes of COVID hospital restrictions, he was able to get admitted into the Colfax hospital. There his doctor ordered an x-ray, then a CAT scan and it was then discovered that both hips had broken and he would need two separate surgeries to repair the broken joints. But before the doctor said he could operate; Dwight was told he had to lose 50 lbs before the first surgery and then another 27 pounds before he could have the second surgery. He and his wife took up the challenge, joined the eating program called “Code Red” and today, Dwight has lost 127 lbs! He had his first surgery on December 27, 2021 and he sees the surgeon on February 22, 2022, where hopefully the next surgery will be scheduled. This journey wasn’t an easy one, but he was committed to shedding the weight. In his own words, Dwight said, “if I can kick addiction, I can lose weight”. Dwight shares that from all the chronic hip and joint pain over the years, that he became addicted to pain killers for 6 ½ years trying to manage the pain. It was from an accidental overdose on October 6, 2013, that made him realize it was time for a change. He knew he had to find a way to quit as not only did his life depend on it but it meant keeping his marriage intact. The nightmare of being an addict had to come to an end. Addiction, no matter what it is, a drug is a drug and it will drag you to the depths of hell. Dwight committed to the 12-week recovery program and has been sober ever since. Kicking the habit often has relapses, and he says he is one of the lucky ones, noting that he and one other person in his recovery group are the only ones who are still clean today. Some of his other group members didn’t have the strength to stay clean, some ended up committing suicide. And Dwight’s determination to stay sober came with risks knowing that after his hip surgery, he would have to take pain killers once again. If you think about it, what a terrifying path to knowingly have to take for a recovering addict. And Dwight is proud to say that he was only on the pain killers for a week and continues his sober lifestyle. Dwight credits his faith in God along with the love and support of his wife and family to his success. He never wants to revisit those dark days and he has tremendous respect for anyone who has picked him or herself up by the boot straps and made the leap of faith.

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Dwight looks forward to resuming life and getting out of the wheelchair after the next round of surgery. And he hopes to go back to his beloved job at Bennett Lumber Products, Inc. mill early summer, maybe even late May if all goes well. It’s a job that he has held for 29 years and working once again with wood and his awesome team members will be the icing on the cupcake of life. Until then, Dwight explained he treats his hobbies like a job and puts in the hours. Last summer he canned copious amounts of jams and jellies. After canning season was done, his wife suggested they get his shop retooled to accommodate his wheelchair status and hours spent making home décor to sell has been a saving grace while waiting for his surgery dates. Dwight’s beautiful wood sculptures are in demand and he has a few outlets that he sells them through. True to his kind spirit, Dwight delights in giving away his some of his items as well as his jam/jellies. He says, it is not uncommon for someone to stop by to chat or pick up an order and leave with more than they originally came for. Giving of oneself is what makes Dwight the happiest. I thought to myself, this is the kind of man that seriously would give you the shirt off his back. A truly sweet soul. And he admits he would help anyone in a heartbeat, but has trouble asking for help himself. And when Dwight isn’t in the shop, he and Susan have developed quite a following on Facebook with their “Welcome to the Renz’s” Pampered Chef cooking shows/classes where they share how they eat with their special diet. And in Dwight’s words, he is blessed beyond measure and points to a sign hung in their kitchen, wherein he says this is his personal mantra of “Work Hard and Be Nice”. And I thought to myself, yes this sums up his life very accurately, this is the guy who will put in a day’s work, who will show up to volunteer at high school events to take tickets, the guy who probably gives away more items than he sells because it makes him happy, the guy who says his wife is a true saint and the proud dad of his children and grandkids. Yep, this is the man who saw what hell looked like for a while and is now creating his own piece of heaven here in Onaway.

And if each of us are honest with ourselves, we all have our own battles that we try to win every day and that takes courage. Often when I look at a person, I really don’t know what their struggles are or what they have overcome. And I know I will take a page out of Dwight’s handbook to give grace to others I have met along the way so to not add to their struggles but hopefully have been more a balm on their pathway of life. May we all be more like Dwight and share his motto of work hard and be nice.

P.S. After the visit, Dwight handed me a bag of goodies that contained some of his wooden creations and jam. And he also gave me a bag for each of our editors, Heather & Tony. Lucky us!