He was born in 1925 and he’s lived through nearly a century of American history.

South Tamaqua’s Anthony Zahora will celebrate his 96th birthday this August. His eyes have seen a world war. His ears have heard the sound of drills boring through the coal mines in Coaldale and his heart has felt the painful losses of his wife and two of his children.

Through all the toil and turmoil, Zahora has lived with one constant belief.

Live and love with joy in your heart.

From the military to the mines

After his graduation from Coaldale High School, Zahora received his draft notice in 1944.

“I chose the Army over the Navy because I wanted to join the Army Air Force,” he said. “I wanted to be a pilot, but they ended the program because the war was ending.”

During the war, he was stationed in England, where he patched bullet holes in airplanes and made repairs to keep them flying. After a brief stint in France, Zahora became part of “The Disarmament Group.” Their assigned mission in Germany was to locate unfinished German airplanes and dismantle their weapons. He was awarded the European Theater Operations and Occupation medals for distinguished service.

After a 31-month stint serving his country, he spent some time in a sheet metal school before he took a job working in the coal mines in Coaldale. He drilled holes for the placement of dynamite sticks and yet he was never concerned about the inherent dangers coal miners faced every day they went to work. In fact, Zahora admitted he liked the job for one specific reason.

“I was my own boss when I was in the mines. I had a job I was told to do and they let me go in and do it.”

His eight years working in the mines were not without consequence. During the cold winters with the water dripping constantly upon him, he came out with what he called “frozen pants.”

That was a minor problem, but like many miners, Zahora contracted black lung disease which he said has since left him “short-winded” for the rest of his life.

Leaving his mark

Coaldale has a coal mine museum where visitors can take tours inside mine number 9.

“I worked in mine number 8,” Zahora said. “I’ve taken the number 9 tour and it brings back a lot of memories.”

He also helped build the Lehigh Tunnel at the Northeast extension of the turnpike.

There he drilled holes through rock and he once told a co-worker, “The holes I made in these rocks means my mark will be left here forever.”

Although he never experienced a coal mining disaster, Zahora recalled a fatality during his time working on the tunnel.

“A guy was walking right behind me when a truck hit him and killed him.”

‘The Miracle Man’

Zahora’s granddaughter Tara Shollenberger has had a very close relationship with him that had begun with unfortunate circumstances. Her parents divorced when she was young, and at age 13, she never saw her father again.

Into her life stepped her grandfather, and from then until now, he has had an enormously positive effect upon her.

“He is my grandfather, my father and my best friend, all in one,” she said. “He walked me down the aisle at my wedding in 2014.

“I call him ‘The Miracle Man,’?” she added, “because no matter what hardships he has been through, he sees every day through rose-colored glasses.”

One of seven children born to parents who emigrated from Czechoslovakia to find a better life in America, Zahora grew up and found love with Marie, whom he would marry in 1953. After 37 years of marriage and raising five children, she passed away at age 59 from cancer.

He has survived the death of a son and a daughter, and in 2017, another calamity happened. His Tamaqua house, that he had lived in since the 1970s, burned to the ground.

“I was carrying a propane tank and I didn’t know it had a leak,” he said. He was treated at the hospital for burns on his hands and his head. The house has since been replaced with a one-level modular home that allows him easier walking from room to room.

Another hospital stay occurred two years later when he had a bout with pneumonia, adding another burden to his respiratory system.

Words of wisdom

Zahora has never lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel and has moved forward with his life. For fun, he’s always been a happy music lover and an avid polka dancer.

Twenty years ago, he met Ruthann, 20 years his junior, who Tara now calls their family’s “angel.” Until recently, he and Ruthann had enjoyed more than a dozen trips to Las Vegas and had taken helicopter rides over the casinos.

He likes to tell jokes to make people laugh, one in particular is about the Fourth of July.

“If you drink a fifth on the Fourth, you may not see the Fifth.”

He passes his words of wisdom along to anyone who sits in his company.

“Good. Better. Best. Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.”

Another is, “You can’t put time in the bank” and perhaps his favorite saying is, “Activate or deteriorate.”

Regarding his age, he said, “I feel so young and then I look in the mirror and wonder who that old guy is looking back.”

This Army veteran, coal miner, construction worker, sheet metal fitter, polka dancer, loving husband, caring father, funny grandfather and great-grandfather has touched the lives of so many during his 95 years, and none more than his granddaughter’s.

“He’s a special person,” Tara said through the tears of her smile. “He gave me a place to call home and carried me to bed when I was a child. He taught me how to drive, to believe in God. He’s advised me about money and the relationships I’ve had. He loves Christmas and starts counting down the days in July. He’s an Energizer Bunny who is now gearing up for fun-filled summer with family picnics.

“He’s my Miracle Man.”