Friends, family, local dignitaries and guests from as far away as Poland came together to celebrate a great milestone for a great man this weekend.
About 70 people gathered for Stanley Rak’s 100th birthday in the Don Harrison Auditorium of the Bradford and District Memorial Community Centre Nov. 5.
Upon entering the auditorium guests were greeted by a table displaying photos of Stanley from over the years and it was covered with congratulatory letters, notices and certificates from associations and dignitaries including: King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis, Governor General Mary Simon, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Rudy Cuzzetto MPP for Mississauga-Lakeshore, the directors of Wawel Villa Seniors Residence in Mississauga, and a local church from a small village of Smolna, Poland.
One of his granddaughters, Tracy Warner, created a book detailing the major events of his compelling life and gave a speech providing a brief summary of how Stanley was born in Raczyce, Poland on Nov. 3, 1923, and shortly after the Second World War began and the Nazis invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, he was taken from his family and forced to labour on a farm in Germany until the end of the war.
“It wasn’t as terrible as you might think,” Tracy said, explaining that Stanley met his future wife Helena Cygan, who had been taken, too, and made to work on a neighbouring farm.
After the war, the couple spent five or six years in a refugee camp in Germany where they were wed and had their first child — Tracy’s mother, Krystyne.
In 1950, the camp closed, leaving the couple displaced, but a Catholic priest sponsored Stanley to come to Canada, and after crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship, he “immediately" got a job in Bradford working on farms which allowed him to bring his wife and daughter six months later.
The couple worked together on farms to create a better life for themselves and in 1953 had their second child, Tracy’s uncle Richard.
Stanley and Helen owned several farm properties in and around Bradford including on Walker Avenue and Canal Road, growing many different fruits and vegetables. Eventually, most of the property on Walker was sold to a developer and became Rak Court.
Sadly, Helen died on April 9, 2018, at age 93, and in recent years, Stanley moved from his home on Walker to a retirement home in Mississauga.
“His life has been all about the principles of generosity and kindness and devotion to his friends, family and neighbours,” Tracy said, joking that he had managed to make the main line from a Polish birthday song, ‘May you live 100 years,’ a bit redundant. “Dziadzia, thank you for all the sacrifices you’ve made to make my life, and all of those people around you, better.”
While Stanley mostly spoke in Polish, his granddaughter Tammy Grassa said he thanked everyone for coming, wished for everyone to be lucky enough to live to 100, recommended enjoying plenty of sweets and cakes to stay happy, and advised the Polish herbal remedy known as Amol to ensure a long and healthy life.
Father Jacek Cydzik a redemptorist priest at St. Patrick Parish, a Catholic church in Toronto, came to celebrate Stanley’s milestone and honour his commitment to his faith.
“Knowing Stan, I could honestly tell you that the reason of his unique lifespan is to keep two things: the first, faith to God and the second, love — love of family and love of people. He has taken all of his life, he has taken not for himself but for others, a lot of you gathered here. And my dear friends, in my opinion that is the secret of his 100 great, beautiful, amazing years,” he said.
Mayor James Leduc was also in attendance to present Stanley with a plaque recognizing the milestone.
“As a long-time resident of the town, council appreciates your many significant contributions for which the community shall be forever grateful. I join your family and friends in wishing you happiness and good health on this very special occasion. Happy birthday,” he said.
All the guests joined in singing Happy Birthday and a Polish birthday song, with Cydzik also saying a prayer for Stanley and blessing the meal.
Three of Stanley’s granddaughters also shared their favourite memories with him so far.
Tammy still enjoys playing canasta with her grandfather, who taught her how to play when she was very little and sometimes he would even let her win.
Tracy recalled collecting eggs from the chicken coop her grandparents kept on the farm.
“Sometimes at dinner times there would be a chicken on the table, and as a little kid, I used to be very nervous about it and wonder if it came from the chicken coop. I would always say ‘Dziadzia, where did that chicken come from?’ and he would pretend that it came from the coop,” she said, noting that she’s still not entirely sure if any of them ever did.
Robyn Warner recalled riding with her grandfather in the tractor through the farm.
“I’d be sitting on his lap and I’d be driving the tractor down the fields and it was always so rickety and bumpy and he’d be shifting the gears, and I’d be hoping it would keep going,” she said, laughing about how the tractor sometimes struggled to start. “It broke down all the time.”
Over the years, Stanley also shared advice with his granddaughters.
“He told me I was a very smart girl and I could handle anything,” Robyn said.
Tammy and Tracy recalled the frequent holiday blessings and hopes for the year that the girls would get married or have a baby.
“At Christmastime my grandparents, each of them would come by and say 'we wish you well wishes for the year,'” Tammy explained. “Everything would be like we wish you lots of health, lots of happiness, so that was a really nice tradition that we had growing up that we still actually do.”
Marrianne Barraclough is a member of Bradford’s Happy 60s Seniors’ Club and enjoyed playing bid euchre with Stanley and Helen over the years.
“I played cards with him this summer, and he’s on the ball — sharp as a tack. He loves any kinds of cards,” she said.
