At 110 years old, Canadian veteran Burdett Sisler says the secret to a long life is surprisingly simple: just keep living. “Anybody can do it,” he remarked with a grin in a recent interview. “I don’t feel any different than any other day really, except I can’t move as fast or think as fast.”
Believed to be Canada’s oldest living man, Sisler marked his 110th birthday on April 13 at the Royal Canadian Legion in Fort Erie, Ontario, surrounded by family, friends, and local community members. “To me it was going to be just another birthday,” he said. “And it turned out to be an amazing display.”
Eighty years after the Allied victory in Europe during the Second World War, Sisler is still grateful that his service is remembered—even by strangers on Facebook. But his thoughts often return to fellow soldiers who endured far more. “I have to think back to those who had a rougher time than I had,” he said. “A lot of soldiers didn’t come back. I never got the chance to go overseas.”
Born in Akron, Ohio, and raised in Toronto from the age of three, Sisler met his future wife, Mae, through a classmate and married her in 1939—just days after Britain declared war on Germany. When he enlisted in 1943, Mae feared he wouldn’t return and asked for something to remember him by. According to their son Norman, “So they had a baby girl.”
Sisler initially aimed to join the Royal Canadian Air Force and was told he was one of their best candidates. But a single “bad eye” led to rejection. “They were afraid I couldn’t bring the airplane into the landing,” he recalled. Instead, he joined the army and volunteered for chemical warfare trials in Ottawa while waiting for basic training. One test involved applying a salve to his skin to measure the effects of mustard gas over 14 days. “I got a raise in pay after that,” he said with dry humour. Years later, he became part of a class-action lawsuit and received a settlement for his participation.
He trained as a gunner in Nova Scotia, then took radar and telecommunications training in Barriefield, Ontario. By the end of the war, he had become a sergeant with the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers, though the war concluded before he saw combat overseas.
After leaving the military in 1947, Sisler worked with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps near Montreal before being discharged due to demobilization. He then transitioned to civilian life, settling in Fort Erie and becoming a customs agent at the Peace Bridge border crossing. He and Mae raised five children—eventually expanding the family tree to include 11 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 14 great-great-grandchildren.
Life after war was full of song and side projects. In the 1960s, he sang in a barbershop quartet and co-ran a television and radio repair service with a friend. “They had an ad that said, ‘If you’ve got a whistler, call Hanes and Sisler,’” Norman said, laughing.
Mae passed away in 1985, just days before Sisler’s 70th birthday. He remained in their Fort Erie home until 2022, supported by family until the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now resides in a retirement home with frequent visits from loved ones.
Sisler offers no grand formula for longevity. He never cared for cigarettes, occasionally enjoyed a cold beer after mowing the lawn, and still savours reading the newspaper and a good meal. Despite the years, his attitude remains grounded and upbeat. “Every day is fun because I’m still alive.”