You might call them an exclusive group, boasting just five members.

Elmer “Bud” Watson, the oldest member of the Men’s Club at 98, chose to decorate his walking stick with animal designs. (Press photo by Ken Grosjean)

Every Thursday morning, the members of the Men’s Club at the Lutheran Home at Toledo make their way to first-floor workshop, where volunteer Robert Strack and his trusty canines Goldie and Black Jack await.

When the men have taken their places around the table, they get down to business.  This particular week, they’re putting finishing touches on their inaugural project – personalized walking sticks.

As they work, some engage in lively conversation, others focus on the task at hand, letting their handiwork do the talking.

“These guys have been around for a long time – often they have a lot to say,” Strack said.

The project – and the club – kicked off a few weeks ago when Strack brought in several sturdy tree branches that he had collected and dried. The men began by removing the bark with utility knives and sanding the sticks smooth.

Then it was time for the creative part. “We wanted to add etched designs, and I encouraged them to think about something in their backgrounds, something they really like, so their walking stick would become truly personal,” Strack said. “Anything they wanted on them, they would tell me and I would draw the pictures and help them cut out the designs.”

Elmer “Bud” Watson, who has the distinction of being the oldest man in the class at 98, did some hunting when he was younger, so he wanted animals on his walking stick. “He started with a deer at the top, and then added a wolf, tiger and a roaring lion, plus a kangaroo with a baby in the pouch,” Strack said.

“He’s got talent – when he was younger, he did some tremendous paintings and wood projects,” Strack said. “He’s very determined ¬– he comes down here and he paints, he whittles and does whatever he can do.”

As it turns out, most of the Men’s Club members are a “wild bunch,” choosing animal designs as Bud did – except for one.

Floyd Koester, who is 92, worked at Hoeflinger’s Greenhouse for some 53 years, so not surprisingly, he wanted to adorn his walking stick with a collection of flowers – colorful poinsettias, daffodils and other blooms.

Richard Lee drew all the pictures of the animals on his walking stick. “Look at the detail,” Strack beamed. “He can draw just about anything, though he’ll tell you he can’t.”

As Forrest Bunner proudly shows off his project, which features a penguin, a wild horse, kangaroo and camel, Black Jack ambles over and takes a place by his feet.

Strack shrugs. “Black Jack’s been doing this ever since he was born – nine years now,” Strack said. “He’ll pick somebody out and go lie down, and just wait to be petted.”

“The same with Goldie,” he said. “She was an abused dog, kept in a cage for over three years. Now she gets in bed with people who can’t get out of bed.”

With the addition of non-slip rubber tips and handy knobs on the top, the walking sticks were complete. In recognition, each man earned a certificate of merit.

“The next project – Noah’s Ark birdhouses,” Strack said, displaying a model. “I put them all together at home and I bring them in in kit form.”

The walls and shelves in the workshop are lined with projects in various stages of completion that the Lutheran Home residents have done under Strack’s tutelage. 

Though this is his first all-men’s group, he has been volunteering at the facility and at other locations for about a decade. “The desire to volunteer began in 2000 after my uncle was in an auto accident,” Strack said. “He wasn’t expected to survive, and was living in nursing facility.

“I had retired from BP Refinery and was the only one in the family who had the time and wherewithal to visit,” he said. “I went in just about every day, did things for him, stayed almost all day.

“My uncle recovered after about eight months, but over that period of time, I got to see that there was a need – the people who were there long term and even short term could benefit from having something interesting to do, to stay busy.”

Today, Strack volunteers 40 to 50 hours a week. “I get a lot of pleasure out of doing what I do,” Strack said. “I get to meet and work with a lot of different people, with varying levels of ability.

“Some need more help than others – sometimes I have to hold their hands as they paint,” he said. “Others have vision problems and can only see certain colors.

“Some just come to pet Goldie and Black Jack,” he said. “And that’s great too.”

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