But for the 91-year-old, the cane is about more than mobility. And it’s no ordinary cane. It is hand carved from maple and the wood came from the sugar bush where he lived and worked all his life near Conestogo in Woolwich Township. Burrowed maple is wood that has dark lines and grains in it because it has started to crack and wear. “Before it rots, it goes through like a grain, 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 some of the wood I made maple syrup from.” Weber is presented with his cane by his daughters. It is made of maple wood. (Submitted by Susan Weber) He believes he lost the club earlier this month while on his golf cart, one to three kilometers 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 and back onto Sawmill Road. “As soon as he got home from his trip, he noticed the cane wasn’t there. So he ran 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 hope.” The cane was a gift to Weber from Nietzsche and her sister Anne Weber to mark their mother’s death eight years ago. A man named Wayne, who belonged to the Woodworking Club of Waterloo, carved the cane. “It’s beautifully carved,” Nitsche said. The photos show an interlocking pattern near the handle of the cane. Weber, left, sits and talks with his son Tim in this photo. His daughter Peggy says he likes to tell people about his cane, which was a gift from his daughters to mark his wife’s death eight years ago. (Submitted by Susan Weber) Weber said he tries not to think too much about the fact that he is missing. Meanwhile he uses another normal cane. “You can either stay with it or you can let you and your spirit decide that life goes on,” he said. “Between my spirit and me, we have put it aside and don’t dwell on it because it will bury me if I do.” Nitsche said her father took the cane everywhere and loved it when people asked about it. “He’s heartbroken. It would just mean the world to my dad to get that cane back,” he said. “It is often described as the heart of it.” The family is asking anyone who has the cane or may know its whereabouts to contact them at 519-588-2153. Weber’s cane, now lost, was never far from him. Here, he poses in front of a classic car with it by his side. (Submitted by Susan Weber)
