100-year-old veteran in Sudbury was out selling poppies up until his recent passing

Max Topolnisky, a 100-year-old Second World War veteran, was out selling poppies for the Lockerby Legion in Sudbury, Ont., two days before he died, on Nov. 1, 2024.

"That's what he loved to do," said Carmen McMurray-Penner of the Lockerby Legion.. 

"He was always waiting to go tagging (selling poppies) every year. He wouldn't have missed it for anything."

Topolnisky's son, Tim, said his father enlisted in the army when he was 17 years old.

He grew up in a small town in Manitoba, and, as the oldest of eight children, felt he had a duty to fight for his country.

Tim said his father didn't openly discuss his time fighting for Canada during the Second World War, but bits and pieces of information would come out during conversation.

"He had been in London, he'd been in Germany, he'd been in France," he said.

As he got older, Tim said his father, Max, was more open to sharing that experience to make sure younger generations wouldn't forget the sacrifices his generation made for them.

"I know when my own daughter was doing a project in grade school around this time of the year, Remembrance Day, she reached out to my dad," he said.

"And she had a conversation with him over the phone."

He described his father as a "wonderful man" who gave a lot to his nine children and was a man of religion. 

"He believed in his faith very much and we followed that through our lives," said Toplinsky.

"He had a love for his community, always being involved in something, whether it was the church or the building of the church, or ensuring that, you know, things were going right at the legion."

For Remembrance Day, Tim said his father and his legacy will be top-of-mind.

"I will be remembering every moment, and I am as proud as I can possibly be," he said.