In 1906, my parents Echael and Rifka Stern came to Canada from Bessarabia, Romania. For nine months they lived in Winnipeg where my Dad worked for the Markovitz Bakery, then they moved to Narol, Manitoba (near Lockport, Manitoba). They rented a building and opened Stern's General Store. They spoke very little English but were fluent in Ukrainian and since their clientele was 100% Ukrainian, it worked well.

A few years later, my parents moved their family a mile north where they bought 12 acres of land and an old house. The front room became the general store. I was born on February 28, 1920 and when I was 5 years old a new store was built, 36' x 36' with a 10' deep basement, with supplies purchased on a handshake from City Lumber. In 1930 my parents built a 5-room house behind the store, and it was there that I lived until the age of 21.

My sisters Anne, Sarah and Bessie, and brothers Louis and Morris, and I ("Kopple") all attended Donald School in Narol. Rabbi Goldberg from Flora Avenue came to our home once a week and taught the whole family the truths of Judaism. My father joined the Hebrew Sick Benefit and we were somewhat involved in Winnipeg's Jewish community, but it was the small community of Narol that was the centre of our lives. Stern's General Store was in the family from 1906 until 1991 — 85 years! When my late brother Morris passed away, I sold the building to John Kreviazuk, very nice people and good to deal with — the sale was cash.

In 1941 I joined the Army and was part of the Coast Artillery from 1941 until 1945. When I was home on leave in 1942 I married Hilda Lazar and we have been married 58 years. After the war I got a job in the food service industry, selling food products to institutions such as hotels and hospitals. The first 15 years I worked for Fort Rouge Jobbing Company, then 15 years for Weidman Bros. Ltd., and 10 years for Westfair Foods.

In the summer of 2000, Hilda and I celebrated our 80th birthdays together. Our children, Ricki (Lerner), Carol (Gutkin) and Marvin arranged a wonderful celebration and also established an endowment fund at The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba in our names. We are pleased that many of our family and friends contributed to the fund. It is gratifying to us that long into the future, this fund will help the community wherever it is most needed.