‘Heartbroken’ widower, 91, from Woolwich, Ont., hopes lost ornately carved cane is returned-صحيفة الصوت

John A. Weber has lost his cane.

But for the 91-year-old, the cane is about more than mobility.

And it’s no ordinary cane.

It’s hand-carved from spalted maple, and the wood came from the sugar bush where he’s lived and worked his entire life near Conestogo in Woolwich Township. Spalted maple is wood that has dark lines and grains in it because it has started to break down and decay.

“Before it rots, it has like a grain through it, and then you can do something with it,” Weber told CBC News. “It’s wood from the bush. We tap maple trees here. We used to make probably 500 gallons of maple syrup every year. And that cane is part of the wood that I made maple syrup from.”

He believes he lost the cane earlier this month while out on his golf cart, one to three kilometres from his farm.

Weber’s daughter, Peggy Nitsche, said he drove the golf cart along Sawmill Road, turned onto New Jerusalem Road, then along Northfield Drive back to Sawmill Road.

“As soon as he got home from his trip, he noticed that the cane wasn’t there. So he drove the route again right away,” Nitsche said.

“He couldn’t see it. So my feeling is that it’s not really lost. I believe it’s been found and someone just doesn’t know who it belongs to. That’s what I’m hoping.”

The cane was a gift to Weber from Nitsche and her sister Ann Weber to mark the death of their mother eight years ago. A man named Wayne, who belonged to the Waterloo Woodworking Club, carved the cane.

“It is beautifully carved,” Nitsche said.

Photos show an intertwined design near the handle of the cane.

Weber said he’s trying not to think too much about the fact it’s missing. He’s using another regular cane in the meantime.

“You can either dwell on it or you can let you and your spirit decide that life goes on,” he said. “Between my spirit and I, we’ve put that aside and don’t dwell on it because it will bury me if I do.”

Nitsche said her dad took the cane everywhere and he loved when people would ask about it.

“He is heartbroken. It would just mean the world to my dad to get that cane back,” she said. “He’s often described it as his heart.”

The family is asking anyone who has the cane or may know of its whereabout to contact them at 519-588-2153.