'It's gotta be in your heart': At 100 years old, Greenfield's Al Stachowiak finds joy and community at the bowling alley

 

GREENFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- With each throw, Al Stachowiak is muttering something. He encourages the ball to move or for the bowling gods to "give it" to him. Depending on the result, he yowls in disappointment or triumphantly claps.

Regardless of what kind of game he's having, Stachowiak still shows up for his weekly bowling leagues, even after turning 100 years old last month.

Raised on Milwaukee's south side and now a resident of Greenfield, Stachowiak bowls at the Classic Lanes on Layton Avenue. Every week, he bowls three consecutive games, aiming for a total score of 500.

Stachowiak attributes his good health to faith and fitness.

"I'm blessed. I think my faith just keeps me going," he said. "Say my prayers every day and hope the Lord will bless me."

Holly Stachowiak said she still finds herself in awe of her father-in-law. Even after being in the family for 34 years, she described Al as an inspiration.

"It is hilarious because me and my husband, we're like, 'oh my gosh,' we have all these aches and pains, and it's, 'oh our back' and this and that, and he'll go, 'Oh I had a little back tweak,'" she said. "And he'll say, 'I had to take one Tylenol.'"

For Al's 100th birthday, he was treated to a trio of celebrations. First, Classic Lanes thew a party for him. The next day, his senior living complex -- where Al still lives independently -- hosted a bash where the Greenfield Fire Department surprised Stachowiak with a mayoral proclamation declaring July 19 was Al Stachowiak Day in the southwest suburb.

The day after that, a family reunion.

"Of course, we had it in a bowling alley," Holly quipped.

Al said his favorite part of the weekend was bringing together so many of his relatives.

"You know what? I got all my nephews and nieces together, that they haven't seen eachother for years," he said. "And each one gave me a hug."

The family, the fire department and others don't want Al to stop any time soon. Stachowiak served in World War II, and they're trying to get him to take an Honor Flight to see the monument to those veterans in Washington, D.C.

Stachowiak, who served as a medic, sounded like he still needed some convincing.

"I didn't see any bombs going off, I didn't see any explosions. I didn't see any guys shooting at eachother," he said. "You know what? I was blessed. I was really blessed."

The bowling alley might be the only place where Stachowiak seeks praise. When he delivers a strike or picks up a difficult spare, he'll turn to the group and exclaim something to the effect of, 'I got it!'

Stachowiak said he hopes to bowl for at least another year or two, attributing his fitness to lifting two-pound dumbells, doing pushups and using the rails in his building's elevator to do squats.

He also wants to keep bowling because of the companionship it provides. He's outlived both of his wives.

"People are friendly. They share your joy with you," he explained. "Whenever you get a strike, they come and give a big shake, to shake my hand."

It's apparent Al's energy lifts the spirits of others. He said, in his mind, the point of life is to be friendly and outgoing.

"The world, it's terrible if you're not that way," he said. "You gotta be happy. It's gotta be in your heart."