101-year-old Métis veteran of WWII dies in Île-à-la-Crosse, Sask.
CBC
Louis Roy, a 101-year-old Métis veteran of the Second World War, died Tuesday at a long-term care home in Île-à-la-Crosse, Sask.
"He was always joking around and making the staff laugh, right up to the end," said Roy's granddaughter Glenda Burnouf.
"He was loved by everyone."
Roy served in the Second World War as a member of the Saskatoon Light Infantry, joining the Canadian Armed Forces in 1942 at the age of 22. He served in England, Africa, Sicily and Italy.
On Remembrance Day in 2020, the village's parade made a special stop at his care home and dignitaries saluted Roy through the window.
WATCH Louis Roy honoured in Île-à-la-Crosse:
Burnouf said her grandfather came back to Canada after the war, where he was a trapper and hunter before he began a carpentry career at age 43. He had 10 children.
He also built himself a home at the age of 85, where stayed until he moved into St. Joseph's Long Term Care Home.
Burnouf said he died peacefully at the care home, not due to COVID-19. She said she is grateful for the staff there.
"It was so hard with COVID," she said.
"I haven't been able to see him. There's only been two designated visitors. At Christmas time we were hoping to get together and we just couldn't."
The last time Burnouf saw her grandfather in person was at his 100th birthday celebration in August 2020.
She remembers him as a constant presence in her childhood with summers spent at his cabin in Beauval, Sask.
Though he had a long life, she said losing him was still unexpected.
