My Story

I'm Jesse Petrove, and at 75 years old, I've spent over 50 years working with my hands as a framed carpenter, bricklayer, and builder. After graduating from Oxford High School, I married my beautiful wife when I was 18 and she was 16. We shared 54 wonderful years together before she passed away.

In 2009, my life changed dramatically. I had open heart surgery—and six months later, had to go through it again because it wasn't done right the first time. Shortly after, I became paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors put bars in my back and told me I'd probably never walk again.

But I did walk again.

It's not perfect—I'm handicapped and deal with a lot of pain—but I refused to give up. That's when I shifted my focus to design work and CNC wood plaques. I sold them at shops, stores, and shows, and even built hunting blinds on my site at Papajess.com. Business was good, but the pain in my back kept getting worse.

About two years ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 kidney disease. My kidney function was rated at just 22%. They even did a biopsy to confirm it. Over the next year, my levels fluctuated—rising to 32%, then 42%, then dropping back down to 30%.

Today, I'm at 63% kidney function and in Stage 3. My doctor told me to keep doing whatever I'm doing. So that's exactly what I do—I keep working as hard as I can, and I thank the Lord every day for His healing.

That's when I discovered 3D printing. I've always been good with computers and designing things, so I decided to open a new store and dive into this exciting world. My new shop is now live at PapaJess.store, where you can see all my handcrafted products.

I'm doing my best every single day. When you order from me, I work hard to ship it out as quickly as possible—usually within 2 to 4 days, and everything I sell is in stock. If it's not, I can build it the same day. I price everything fairly because I want others to enjoy the beauty of what I create.

I have two beautiful daughters, two grandsons, and two granddaughters who are all incredibly talented. Family means everything to me, and I've included photos of them on my site because I want you to know you're buying from a real person—an honest, family-oriented craftsman who cares about quality.

At 75, I plan on living a while yet, and I plan to keep creating and selling fine-quality products for as long as I can. If you have questions, contact me—I'll answer as quickly as possible. And if you have ideas for products you'd like to see, I'm all ears! Everyone likes something different, and that's what makes the world great.

I know it's hard to get a new store off the ground, but I'm committed to improving my site daily and adding new products regularly. Please keep checking back to see what I create next.

Have a very blessed day, Jesse

some photos of my family
Jesse about 10- years ago