Article appeared in the Dec. 15, 2011 issue of the Interlake Spectator…
Mike Stonoga
The recipe for a long and happy life appears to be to keep busy and give from the heart, if one takes a lesson from 92-year-old Mike Stonoga, of Zbaraz, a quiet hamlet S.E. of Fisher Branch.
Stonoga continues to live at home and stays occupied in his workshop by making wood crafts. It is a hobby he has had for many years, which he always found time to fit in between picking and cleaning eggs on the family farm.
Stonoga grew up around the corner from where he now lives, in his spacious bungalow. He was one of 11 children who were raised in the two-room house his parents built when they immigrated to Canada around 1910.
Theirs was a hard working family, which struggled for many years to make ends meet. His father, taught him some rudimentary carpentry skills, and Stonoga soon learned how to fix tables and chairs.
Throughout the years he has built on his skills, and has made a wide range of items—furniture, piggy banks, key holders, yard ornaments, and even a water wheel—but he says his favourites are the pencil holders, which he started making 20 years ago.
He cuts out the pattern with a bench saw and files out the details, puts them together and hand paints them with water colour paints.
With the challenge of arthritis now, and his hand is not as steady as it once was, he takes all the time he needs, patiently wiping up spills, repainting, and making the necessary corrections to his lines. It is a labour of love.
“I work sometimes for two hours a day; sometimes more,” he said.
It is not a hobby Stonoga does for the money. He does it purely for the pleasure, and to spread a little joy. He has gifted his wood crafts to church raffles, to his family doctor, and even to the church Bishop. All of his children have taken many prized pieces home with them, and he has crafts ready and waiting to be given away to anyone who visits.
When not in his workshop, he may be found outside in his manicured yard during the summer, waving from the top of the riding lawn mower while cutting the large country lawn; Or he may be found collecting vegetables in his garden, quickly getting the job done before his daughter comes to “help” him with it.
At 92, Stonoga continues to live life from the heart, keeping busy, sharing the simple things. After all, it is this which makes one’s journey through life rich and joyful, even when it is spent in a quiet little hamlet on the Manitoba prairies, or anywhere, really.
