A 104-year-old Winnipeg veteran of the Second World War has died.
Leonard (Len) Van Roon is being remembered as a pillar of the community who worked tirelessly to ensure the sacrifices of those who fought and died for this country are never forgotten.
“It was always really important for him to have people remember the sacrifice,” his son, Len Van Roon Jr., told CTV News.
Van Roon died on Oct. 26, 2026, at the age of 104.
The veteran of the Second World War was 20 years old when he was conscripted.
“He said, ‘Once I had to go, then I did the very best job I could, and so did all the people around me,’” Van Roon Jr. said.
On D-Day, his unit, the 19th Field Artillery Regiment, was in the first wave on Juno Beach and went on to help liberate the Netherlands.
“He’s the only veteran we had left from World War Two, so his passing leaves a big hole for our Legion,” said Tom Crew, chair of the Charleswood Legion, which Van Roon had been a member of for more than 50 years.
“It’s going to be up to us who have become members since then to carry on the work that he started for us so very long ago.”
That work is spread throughout Van Roon’s home community of Charleswood – like his witty life-sized art pieces he called ‘Gufflewarfs’, or the monument he and his wife spearheaded, including the names of local soldiers who died fighting in the World Wars.
“He is one of the pillars of the Charleswood community,” Crew said. “We haven’t so far today discussed half of what he did, and he did it all with a smile on his face.”
One of the more recent efforts is a small tulip garden outside the Charleswood Legion. It’s called the Len Van Roon tulip garden. In the spring it will bloom with red and white crosses. All the tulips were donated by the people of the Netherlands.
“It’s small, but it’s really beautiful,” Van Roon Jr. said. “Those (tulips) will come up next spring, so it’s a living legacy of the importance of remembering.”
Van Roon Jr. said at the heart of all the work his father did was a desire to ensure future generations never forget.
“He would go into schools and say, ”You must remember these men because the things that you have, the schools you go to, a lot of them came about as a result of their sacrifice,” he said.
The last time CTV News spoke with Van Roon in May 2025, he shared a simple message of remembrance.
“They have to appreciate all the wonderful facilities we have now, and the opportunities we have now,” he said. “So, don’t blow it.”
