Hugh Victor Letendre (Victor) was born on March 4, 1925, in the home of his Mètis parents, at one of the oldest Mètis settlements in Western Canada, Lac Ste Anne, Alberta. He was the second born of seven children of Wilfred Letendre and Marie Annie Philomene Loyer.

He joined the Canadian army on February 17, 1944, and served on the front lines of England, France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. He was voluntarily discharged on July 17, 1945, at the age of twenty.

On April 2, 1949, at the age of twenty four, Victor married a Mètis woman from Rosemary, Alberta, Georgina Dumont. Victor and Georgina had five children:

• Victor, married to Brenda, of Yellowknife, NT
• Sheila McDougall (deceased), married to Gordon McDougall of Piikani, Alberta
• Cyril (deceased)
• Allen, married to Birdie, of Edmonton
• Murleen Crossen, married to Craig, of Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta

He was pre-deceased by his wife Georgina; sisters Clara, Francis, and Evelyn; children Sheila McDougall and Cyril Letendre; and his mother and father, Marie Annie Philomene (Loyer) and Wilfred Letendre.

He is survived by his dear partner and friend Anna Dannish of Edmonton; his children Victor (Brenda) Letendre, Allen (Birdie) Letendre, and Murleen (Craig) Crossen; his grandchildren, Hugh Thompson, Walter Thompson, Peter (Lorena) Crossen, Aidan (Zach) Thibault, Aaron Letendre, Desire Letendre, and Jesse Letendre; his great-grandchildren, Jasmine, Autumn, Garrett, Alexander, and Brian; his sisters Nancy Smallwood of Pender Harbour, British Columbia, Theresa Loyer of Balzac, Judy (John) Hilbert of Edmonton, and Simone Goebel of Mulhurst; and brother Cyril Kenneth (Isabel) of Edmonton; as well as countless members of extended family, friends, and godchildren.

Victor held a number of jobs in the sheet metal and roofing industries, until he purchased a roofing consulting company in 1975, BUR Roofing, which he ran until his retirement. Throughout his life, Victor volunteered his time to numerous organizations, including the:

• Sheet Metal Union Board
• Grande Prairie Construction Association
• Alberta Roofing Contractors Association
• Recovery Acres Society
• Society of Alberta Roofing Inspectors and Contractors
• Royal Canadian Legion in Grande Prairie, and Edmonton (Branch #255)
• Club 55, an organization that plans events for local seniors

Victor remembered who he was and where he came from as a Mètis person, and volunteered his time to numerous Aboriginal organizations, including:

• Aboriginal Veterans Society of Alberta (AVSA)
• he was a founding board member of the Edmonton Canadian Native Friendship Centre in 1962, and was also President of the organization from 1990-1992.
• The Native Seniors Centre.
• Victor was one of the original members of the Edmonton Native Youth Justice Committee, which was formed in 1995, and was previously President of the Committee
• Trustee of the Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage Board
• Member of the Elders Circle of the Edmonton Urban Aboriginal Accord Initiative with City of Edmonton.

In recognition of his involvement in the Mètis community, Victor was presented with a Mètis Sash from the Mètis Nation of Alberta in 1993. In 2003, the Mètis National Council honoured Victor with a Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal, and in December 2004, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada.

Victor was the elder of his family, known for his respect for people, his supporting and non-judgmental ways, and teaching through stories of his own life experiences.

He will be deeply missed by the family, friends, and the Métis community.

Please click on the following links to read more about the accomplishments of our respected Metis veteran, elder, volunteer, and life-long friend.

http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2004/1220/prayers122004.shtml

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm/feature/sub.cfm?source=collections/hrp/alpha_results&people_id=81

http://www.metisnation.ca/galleries/vet_jan16/pages/Veteran_2.htm