Jokester, veteran and beloved patriarch Leonard Newton succumbs to COVID-19

Leonard Newton was not just funny, he was the kind of person who could truly commit to a bit — like how he would call his much-adored granddaughter Lisa Lasby at her work every day and tell her a dirty joke.

"Just to see if he could rattle me," Lasby said, laughing. 

It's a small illustration of how the late Vancouver man lived his life: with vigour and vibrance surrounded by his fiercely loving family. 

In death, just four days shy of his 98th birthday, he was alone in hospital, another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Newton, a father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, served in the Navy during the Second World War and was a distinguished member of the Vancouver Fire Department for 34 years.

A born-and-raised Vancouverite, Newton had eight brothers and sisters. As a boy, he would sit by the Hastings Golf Club and grab golf balls from under the fence, running them back around to the parking lot to sell them for 25 cents.

When the Second World War began, he saw it as his chance to get out of Vancouver and see the world. 

"He went to the Panama Canal and to Ireland and all these places — albeit during wartime convoys. But he was thrilled," recounted his nephew, Tony Zanatta.

When he returned to Vancouver a decorated veteran, he became a firefighter.

Newton's son Trevor said though his father was fond of recounting the camaraderie between his crew and the firehall antics, it was a job that demanded courage, like the time Newton fought a fire in the hold of a freighter ship in downtown Vancouver, staying until his oxygen ran out and his firefighters were safe and the fire controlled.

Or, when he was among the first emergency personnel on scene after the 1958 collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge, where 79 workers fell into the sea and 19 people died.

"He was a man of his word and he modelled whatever he was saying to us," said Trevor Newton. "I was proud to be his son."

In retirement, Newton found purpose growing all his own vegetables in his meticulously maintained garden at his home in Maple Ridge. He spent winters making beautiful hewn blocks and toys in his woodworking shop for his grandchildren, local agencies and even the doctor's office.  

"He liked being alive and he liked being around and doing things and flirting with women and telling stories and oh — he enjoyed life," said Zanatta. 

And every Sunday, he would be joined by his family for a big dinner. His grandkids and great-grandkids would clamour for an allowance, and every birthday was celebrated with a giant cake.

"He was a meat and potatoes guy, so actually I had to learn to cook to satisfy him," said Lasby, who helped her grandfather take care of his yard and home.

It was one such Sunday, as he was going to check on his garden, that Newton took a fall. He was taken to hospital and had to undergo rehabilitation for a month. 

A few days before he was supposed to be released back home, he tested positive for COVID-19.

"Tony told me over the phone, and I did fall onto the floor and just cried, because I knew what that meant for us. I knew I wasn't bringing him home," said Lasby. 

Cut off from visitors and alone, the family tried to get Newton a cell phone at the hospital, but he couldn't figure out how to work it. Finally, the hospital allowed Lasby to visit him. 

"I got to hold his hand and tell him how much I loved him and I talked about every single one of our family members and told him how much they loved him," she said. 

Newton, wearing an oxygen mask, couldn't talk much, so he squeezed her hand in return.

The next morning, April 23, he passed.

"We lost such a special piece of our life to this disease," said Lasby.

For a man who always had a hilarious anecdote ready — like the time he got so drunk on Christmas Day on the warship he had to be tied up in his hammock as punishment  — Newton often downplayed his own brave feats.

Zanatta said he even found his uncle's war medals stashed inside an old coffee tin in his woodworking shop. 

When he asked his uncle why he didn't speak of those actions, he replied, "all the heroes are dead."

To hear Lisa Lasby remember her grandfather on The Early Edition, tap the audio link below:

We want to know more about the British Columbians who have died of COVID-19. If you've lost someone and want to share your memories of them please email earlyed@cbc.ca.