Fort Erie man celebrated as Canada’s oldest veteran at 110-years-old

Fort Erie’s Burdett Sisler was celebrated at the Ontario Legislature this week for becoming Canada’s oldest veteran and a young 110-years-old.

A Fort Erie man has become the oldest Canadian at 110 years of age.

Burdett Sisler was born in Akron, Ohio way back in 1915, but grew up in Canada and even fought for this country in the Second World War, but now he’s older than 41 million other Canadians.

There was a little ceremony held Friday at Sisler’s retirement home in Fort Erie, complete with a big cake and some certificates.

Several of his kids were on hand, along with a couple of local friends and politicians.

He is officially the oldest Canadian now — 156 days more senior than the next person.

Though he was born first, he says it’s an honour.

“In a way yeah, I knew there was someone just a couple years older than I was, but I wasn’t looking forward to being the oldest Canadian,” said Sisler.

Sisler is also the fifth oldest veteran in the world and he credits his longevity to living a good clean life.

“I just lived an ordinary life — carried on and did what I had to do, and finished what I started,” said Sisler.

READ MORE: ‘Every day is fun because I’m still alive,’ says 110-year-old Canadian veteran

“You know what, it has to be genes – it just has to be,” said Betty Argentino, Sisler’s daughter. “He never smoked. He drank a little but not excessively.”

Burdett has five children, many of them who were at the ceremony Friday.

He also has 11 grandchildren, a whopping 22 great-grandchildren and 14 great-great-grandchildren.

“Five years ago, when he was 105, he told me he wanted to live to be 110 and I was somewhat skeptical,” said Norm Sisler, Sisler’s son. “Well here we are, now he’s got a new goal: he wants to live ’til the year 2030 and right now there’s no reason why he shouldn’t — why he can’t.”

“He’s getting more tired: he still has all his brain cells, he’ll tell us things that we’re supposed to be doing to help him out — he’s just not as mobile, but his brain is there,” said Argentino.

Local MPP Wayne Gates and Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop were both on hand to congratulate Sisler.

“I met him once I got elected back in 2014,” said Gates. “I had a number of events in the community — whether it be at the Legion or fundraisers, and I was really amazed at him, hearing at that time I think he was 99, and he was still bowling, he was still driving, still calling ‘bingo’ and I loved talking to him, and we just became good friends.”

Sisler says while he has had a few close calls health-wise, he says in his 110 years he’s never been hospitalized, and he’s lived through two pandemics.

WATCH MORE: Fort Erie war veteran celebrates his 109th birthday