{"id":585170,"date":"2026-04-06T05:00:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/585170\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T05:00:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:00:17","slug":"canadas-oldest-second-world-war-veteran-burdett-sisler-dead-at-110","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/585170\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s oldest Second World War veteran Burdett Sisler dead at 110"},"content":{"rendered":"

Burdett Sisler, the oldest known living man in Canada and one of the oldest Second World War veterans<\/a> in the world has died. He was 110.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sisler<\/a>\u2019s son Norman says his father died with family members by his side after his health took a turn for the worse in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s bittersweet. You don\u2019t want to see him go, of course. But he had a long life,\u201d Norman said. \u201cIt was a great life.\u201d<\/p>\n

A statement from Gov. Gen. Mary Simon\u2019s office says she and her husband were saddened to learn of Sisler\u2019s death and are sending condolences to his friends and family.<\/p>\n

Born in Akron, Ohio on April 14, 1915, Sisler moved to Toronto when he was three years old. He served as a radar technician in Canada\u2019s military during the Second World War before settling in Fort Erie, Ont., to work for the Canada Border Services Agency.<\/p>\n

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The supercentenarian told The Canadian Press last year that it\u2019s not too hard to make it to 110 years old \u2013 and that all you have to do is stay alive.<\/p>\n

Sisler\u2019s wife, Mae, died in 1985. He is survived by five children, 12 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren and 14 great great grandchildren, according to his obituary.<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Sisler\u2019s son reflected on just how much the world changed during his father\u2019s lifetime<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has seen two pandemics and two world wars and two solar eclipses,\u201d Norman said, adding that Sisler moved to Toronto when his father, Norman\u2019s grandfather, was transferred to work at the then newly opened Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company factory.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCars were starting to become popular and that\u2019s why they came to Canada,\u201d Norman said.<\/p>\n

In her statement, Simon said Sisler was \u201ca member of the generation that shaped modern Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe witnessed profound moments in history while embodying the values of service and perseverance that continue to inspire us all,\u201d she said Saturday.<\/p>\n

Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight also paid tribute to Sisler\u2019s decades of service to the Canadian public.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Sisler was among the veterans whose sacrifice and resilience helped shape our country,\u201d she said, adding that he leaves behind a legacy that \u201ccontinues to inspire future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sisler enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army in 1943. He originally wanted to join the Royal Canadian Air Force but even though enlistment officers told him he was one of their best candidates, he was turned away because of a bad eye.<\/p>\n

Sisler trained to become a military gunner in Nova Scotia and later took radar training in Barriefield, Ont., where he became a telecommunications mechanic. In 1945, he joined the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers, where he ultimately became a sergeant.<\/p>\n

The Second World War ended before Sisler was deployed abroad.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI have to think back to those who had a rougher time than I had. I never got the chance to go overseas,\u201d Sisler said in an interview last year. \u201cA lot of soldiers didn\u2019t come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the war, he settled his young family in Fort Erie, where\u00a0he soon became a customs agent with the Department of National Revenue, stationed at the Peace Bridge border crossing.<\/p>\n

The couple made frequent summer camping trips to Ontario\u2019s provincial parks with their children. Sisler also sang in a barbershop quartet in the 1960s and ran a side business with a friend fixing TVs and radio sets.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had an ad which stated, \u2018If you have a whistler, call Hanes and Sisler,\u2019\u201d Norman said. \u201cThat\u2019s just a small example of his humour.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sisler\u2019s son said that of all the technological changes his father witnessed, the evolution of TVs was especially puzzling to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took him a while to digest these flat screen TVs,\u201d Norman said.<\/p>\n

His father was used to fixing \u201chuge\u201d cathode ray tube TVs and \u201che was really amazed at how you could get a picture on such a flat screen,\u201d Norman added.<\/p>\n

Last year, when asked for the secret to longevity, Sisler admitted he didn\u2019t have any significant tips. It helps that he never enjoyed the taste of cigarettes, he said, and mostly liked to have a cold beer after mowing the lawn on a hot day.<\/p>\n

Norman said his father never took life too seriously and he will miss Sisler\u2019s sense of humour the most.<\/p>\n

Norman added that he\u2019s overwhelmed at the outpouring of support for him and his family following Sisler\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just amazing,\u201d Norman said. \u201cHe would be pleased, he would be very pleased.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

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