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Another year older, another year wiser

Although his hearing may not be as keen as it once was, Metro (Mike) Luciak sits comfortably in his home, located north of Glendon, chatting with some of the people closest to him.
Mike Luciak (centre) celebrated his 100th birthday in Glendon with his family last week.
Mike Luciak (centre) celebrated his 100th birthday in Glendon with his family last week.

Although his hearing may not be as keen as it once was, Metro (Mike) Luciak sits comfortably in his home, located north of Glendon, chatting with some of the people closest to him.

For the past few weeks Mike and his family have been celebrating a milestone that not many people achieve. On Oct. 20, Mike turned 100 years old.

Born in Canada in 1916, Mike has remained in the area for a full century. He was born in the Lake Eliza area, southeast of St. Paul, to parents who had immigrated to Canada from the Ukraine.

Mike’s dad came to Canada in 1907 on his own, first living with a cousin in the Two Hills area. His mom came to Canada with her parents in about 1913, Mike estimates.

The two were married and began having children shortly after, with Mike’s oldest sister being born the year before he was, and many more siblings after that.

One story shared through the family of Mike’s childhood is when, at just eight years old, he was left to care for the family farm at Lake Eliza, while he parents sought out land southeast of Glendon. The move was done partly so the family could farm on a flatter landscape, rather than in the hills around Lake Eliza.

Shortly after marrying his wife, in the late 1930s, the pair would settle on their own homestead, north of Glendon, about 12 miles away from Mike’s parents.

Mike recalls how his wife, Annie, turned down the first farm the pair looked at because the previous owner had died in his barn, from a heart attack. But, just down the road there was another farm for sale, which Annie was much more receptive to purchasing.

So, after spending the first year of their married life living with Mike’s parents, helping his dad on the farm, the pair would move to their own plot of land in 1940.

“There wasn’t even a road through here,” says Mike. Now, the road that leads past his home is a newly paved and widened road, a far cry from the fence that once showed where the road allowance was.

Mike says he bought the homestead for $1,000. He had to put $500 down, and then paid the remaining amount annually after that, until the land was paid off. And while he paid for the land, Mike and Annie were responsible for clearing at least 15 acres of land each year. That way, if the Luciaks couldn’t pay the full amount, the previous landowner would take the land back, with the added benefit of not having to clear the land himself.

But, the pair worked hard, cleared the land, and paid the remaining amount owing on the farm. Just a couple years after moving to the farm, Mike and Annie decided to hire some boys from Glendon to help break the land.

That year, they managed to break about 30 acres.

“So, we had a start,” says Mike, adding, “Year by year, we finished it up.”

Mike also recalls how he and his wife lived in a small bunkhouse for the first year on the farm. Then, they built a little house in the same spot where Mike’s current house sits. That house was eventually moved off, and in 1953 a basement was dug for a bigger house.

Over the years, the house was worked on, as the Luciak family raised their children and eventually welcomed grandchildren. Now, Mike also has a number of great grandchildren.

Mike and Annie had three children of their own, two boys and one girl. The family also adopted a daughter when she was just a baby.

Along with farming, Mike also dug wells, and logged.

“He did a little bit of everything,” recalls Tina Luciak, Mike’s daughter-in-law, who spends much of her days with her father-in-law. Mike was also involved in the community, even sitting on the school division board at one time.

In honour of his 100th birthday, and 100th year of life, Mike’s family has been mindful to spend time together, hosting a birthday gathering earlier in October, that saw many of Mike’s younger siblings in attendance.

The family also took time this fall to visit Lake Eliza. Many of the Luciak family members had never been to the spot where their father/grandfather had been born.

Tina says it was a great experience, knowing that six generations of the same family stepped on the same piece of land, since Mike’s grandparents on his mother’s side had also been there, long ago.

The family also took Mike quading along the Beaver River, they went blueberry picking, and stopped by Haying in the 30’s over the summer. Mike has always been very active, says Tina, adding, “He has a good mind.”

When asked if he has any secrets to living such a long life, Mike laughs.

“All I can say is, it’s not the best to be old.”

But, Tina is nearby the chime in, pointing out that Mike never drank or smoked, and the family always had a large garden to eat from.

“Mom always made a big garden,” says Mike, adding, although the family was never hungry, they also didn’t have much money to spend on food, so they raised and grew the majority of what they ate.

Tina says she has learned a lot of things from her father-in-law, but the biggest was his positive attitude toward life.

“Be thankful, for all things - good and bad,” says Tina. And Mike certainly experienced loss along the way, losing a son in 1975, his wife in 2000, a daughter in 2005, and a grandchild in 2006.

“But, he was thankful for the time he did have with them,” says Tina. Mike was never one to be angry or bitter. Instead, she describes her father-in-law as being kind, positive and “generous to everyone.”

Last week, on Mike’s actual birthday, with a kitchen table already filled with birthday cards and greetings, Tina was anticipating a few visitors would stop by in the afternoon to wish Mike a happy birthday. And then, a family dinner would be held, which is exactly what Mike enjoys most.

“He didn’t want a birthday party. He just wants family.”


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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