Ernest Côté, WW II veteran, remembered as 'old-school gentleman'

Second World War veteran Ernest Côté, who survived a violent home invasion at his apartment in December, was remembered as a "hero" and "old-school gentleman" at a funeral Saturday in Ottawa.

Côté, 101, died at Ottawa's Montfort Hospital of natural causes on Feb. 25, his family said.

• WW II veteran Ernest Côté dead at 101
• Ernest Côté discusses being tied up, robbed in condo
• Ian Bush charged in home invasion of Ottawa war veteran

On Saturday, his daughter Denyse spoke of her father as a "hero" not just for his involvement in the war, but for his efforts in drafting of the World Health Organization Charter and for his "ethics and humility for service rendered to all."

Côté was also a key figure in the Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Elliot Trudeau governments, Denyse said.

"Ernest Côté was of course an old-school gentleman. He belonged to this generation of men, always impeccably dressed … fond of rituals most probably acquired from his prolonged stays in Great Britain," Denyse said.

"He embraced passionately his new role as a single dad when his dear Madeleine passed away, facing the culinary challenges of his sister-in-law, initiating family get-togethers and taking care of children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces."

Dignitaries in attendance included Veterans Affairs Minister Erin O'Toole, the associate minister of the Department of National Defence, Julian Fantino, and Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau.​

Received 2004 Legion of Honour

Côté was a retired colonel who, as a lieutenant-colonel, helped plan the Normandy landing. He received France's Legion of Honour award in 2004 for his service during the Second World War.

​Côté made headlines after he was robbed in his home and left bound with a plastic bag over his head on December 18. He was able to free himself and call police.

Côté spoke to CBC News about the home invasion at his place in the New Edinburgh neighbourhood in January.

"I was madder than a wasp, and I couldn't do a damn thing, and that's all I could do until he left," Côté said at the time. "I was never afraid. I was madder than a wasp. Wasps ain't afraid; they're mad."

• LISTEN: Côté's daughter, Denyse, speaks to Robyn Bresnahan

Ian Bush, 59, was charged with attempted murder in the case after police released photos and a surveillance video from the lobby of Côté's building. He was also charged with robbery with violence, forcible confinement, break and enter, and two counts of use a credit card obtained by crime.

​Bush was found fit to stand trial in the case after a psychiatric assessment. He remains in custody.

In February, Bush was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the unsolved 2007 triple homicide of retired tax court judge Alban Garon, his wife Raymonde and their neighbour, Marie-Claire Beniskos, all in their 70s.

The bodies of the three seniors were found beaten and bound with plastic bags over their heads inside the Garons' 10th-floor apartment near the Rideau River in June 2007. None of the allegations against Bush have been proven in court.