Sebewaing officer keeps going Goldsmith Michael J. led by destiny

Sebewaing officer won’t let compromised immune system keep him on sidelines during pandemic

MARY DRIER

For the Tribune

SEBEWAING — Going above and beyond is not unusual for Steve Repkie of Sebewaing. He works as a police officer, and has worked as an EMT, a firefighter and a board of education member.

That was until he met a foe that put him in the fight of his life — stage 4 throat cancer a few years ago.

With more than three dozen doses of radiation as well as chemotherapy, he battled his way back and returned to work.

While he was battling cancer, he drew strength from his favorite character, Captain America. He often used that superhero’s image to give him strength to keep going, and when he provided updates on his progress, they would often include a Captain America image.

He has been in remission for about two years.

It took awhile, but he was finally able to return to work full time until the coronavirus pandemic put him on the sidelines because of his compromised immune system.

“I got benched,” Repkie said. “They didn’t want me out there with my health history.”

He worked full-time as a law enforcement officer for the Caro Police Department, as well as part-time for the Sebewaing Police Department and the Unionville Police Department.

However, his forced time off didn’t last long.

“I had been benched, but I couldn’t continue to watch from the sidelines,” he said. “I’m not wired for that. I requested to be put back on the street. I could not, in good conscience, watch my fellow officers and other essential workers go out there every day and face this. I know I’m at risk because of the cancer. I also know that I worked my butt off to get

While on duty as a police officer in the three law enforcement departments for which he works, Steve Repkie wears a face mask with a Captian America logo. Because of a compromised immune system from cancer, Steve Repkie was sidelined as a police officer, but not for long. He could not let fellow officers work alone during such dangerous time. (Courtesy Photos)

back to being a police officer after stage 4 cancer.

“I did it to prove to myself that I could still do the job, not sit on the bench and watch others do the job I love.”

In returning to work, he once again drew on the motto, “Strength and Honor,” as well as a face mask to protect him made by fellow cancer survivor Katie Wood Skelton. The face mask has the Captain American logo on it.

Repkie pointed to his wife, Carolyn, who is also on the frontlines fighting the pandemic.

“My wife is a registered nurse,” he said. “She goes in to the hospital each day. Because that is what she does.”

Although Repkie has been a police officer for 36 years, it was not his first career choice. He originally wanted to be an architect because he loved to draw. When he started taking classes, he realized being architect is much more than just drawing cool buildings.

“It had a lot of math involved and I was never very good at math. The course curriculum had math classes with titles I could barely pronounce,” Repkie said noting he had to do a career goal reset.

“I checked the college courses and the one with the least amount of math was criminal justice/law enforcement,” he said.

After graduation, he went west where he worked in a good sized municipal police department for a number of years and then to a small sheriff’s department.

“There, I was undersheriff for a couple of years,” he said. “I worked traffic crash investigation, was in SWAT (special weapons and tactics), K-9 and field training officer as well as some other areas. The best was K-9. Out west I also trained as a EMT and worked with two county ambulance services.”

He also spent 20 years on a school board in Tuscola County and served as a firefighter on two fire departments as well.

Repkie is also an active member in Skelton’s Facebook page “Virus Spirit 2020,” which has about 1,800 members. He is a guest reading stories on the Facebook page to children to help keep them entertained during isolation.

Repkie has two children, four step children and a 6-year old grandson.

From hockey to jewelry, destiny led Michael J. to where he is today

BY SARA EISINGER

sara.eisinger@hearstnp.com

BAD AXE — Many know Michael J. Affholter as the town’s master goldsmith, but there is so much more to know about the man who holds together a successful business and loving household.

“God’s hand is on our lives,” Affholter said.

It all started in back in 1981, when a teenage boy followed his father’s footsteps — those of semi-pro New York Ranger Roger Affholter.

“I started playing (hockey) when I was two,” Affholter said. “My dad was a pro. He played with guys like Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. They were very influential in our lives. He played until he was 64.”

Like father, like son — Affholter played junior hockey for the Ontario Hockey League. Then, he was picked up by the Sioux City Musketeers. There was one minor set-back.

“The league couldn’t pay us, due to amateur athlete status in those days,” Affholter said. “We got room and board and a stipend for food.”

The young aspiring hockey player was left to do the only thing he could do — find a job. This was no big deal for the 19-year-old man, who had been working delivering papers or bussing tables from an early age. The only question was where? That is when it dawned on him.

“I had a cousin who was the same age and worked at a jewelry store,” Affholter said.

He took the 10-hour trip to Iowa, where he interviewed for a position with a jeweler. The interview was at a store comparable to J.B. Robinson. Affholter felt a tad out of place in his overalls, sitting across from a businessman

Michael J. Affholter (Courtesy

photo)

dressed in only the nicest of three-piece suits.

“What were you thinking, Michael?” Asked the voice of his mother.

“He asked if I had ever been convicted of crime and I said no,” Affholter said. “He asked if I were mechanically inclined and I said yeah.”

Thanks to all the positive male role-models in his life, Affholter had acquired skills in repair work.

“He brought me into workshop with a watch bench, where they fix batteries in bands,” Affholter said. “He asked if I could make it work and I said sure.”

The then-aspiring hockey player quickly began changing batteries, polishing jewelry and fixing broken accessories. He learned to look out for customers, because they did not always know when a prong went missing or if something was about to come loose.

“He showed me how to solder rings, sand and file,” Affholter said. “He showed me all these practices. I learned hands-on. If I ever messed something up, we have a master jeweler that could fix it.”

Importantly, he learned how to stop and not go too far.

“If you start having a problem, stop!” Affholter said. “I think about that today.”

One day, the experienced jeweler took his apprentice into the master jewelry shop and taught him how to put a bottom on a ring. He also taught him that if he broke something, he had to buy it.

“You always have to be accountable to yourself and the customer,” Affholter said. “I have been doing it for 37 years. Truth be told the last 10 have been the most satisfying. Took me 20 years to really understand people and the business.”

Affholter did not go to school, he simply played hockey and continued learning this new trade. He worked in Hamtramck doing “piece work.” This meant he got paid for each job, helping him to learn the business.

“Then, I worked in Southfield for seven years and they taught me skills and repair,” he said. “I worked at night for free to learn. I would have customer jobs and the owner would help me fix them at