Passed away peacefully at The Convalescent Home of Winnipeg on Thanksgiving Sunday, October 13, 2019 at the age of 100. Victor is survived by his loving wife, Gianna Heyn, and his 3 children, Gregory, Odetta and Orville. He was also a devoted grandfather to Damian, Hayley, Danica, Kendra and Griffin. October 8th, 2019 marked his 72nd Wedding Anniversary to Gianna.
Victor was born in Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1919. He was the fifth child of Mona Orr of Kalutara, Ceylon and Gerald Chetwynd Swartz Heyn of Colombo. At the onset of World War II, he enlisted in the British Army at the age of 17 and remained a clerk for the duration of the war. His platoon was stationed in Egypt and in Italy at different stages in the war and was often located near or at the battlefront. It was during his regiment’s campaign in Northern Italy that he met, fell in love with and later married Gianna Gavagnin. Victor never returned to Sri Lanka. However, he assisted in the immigration of several of his relatives to Canada. To that end, he made a big difference in the lives of his niece Barbara, her husband Tony and their children, Jaqueline and Michael as well as his sister, Bertha, her daughter, Jacinta, husband, Milroy and daughter, Michelle. Their lives were forever changed by his generosity.
Victor and Gianna moved to London, England after the war and lived there for a decade. They had two children while in London and later immigrated to Toronto, Canada where they spent the next 30 plus years. During that time, Victor continued to make use of the clerical training he received in the British Army. He worked as a civil servant with the Federal Government until he retired.
In 1988, Gianna and Victor decided she would take early retirement. They packed up their lives in Toronto and moved to Winnipeg so they could provide support to their daughter’s young family.
Victor was devoted to the Catholic Church. He also had a great love of sports, especially Cricket and Field Hockey. How could he not? His older brother, Russel, was a cricket superstar and captain of the Ceylon National Cricket team and Russel’s son was a brilliant field hockey player on Ceylon’s National team. While in Toronto, Victor was the founder and captain of the Downsview Cricket Club. He was also an ardent fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Victor will forever be a part of us. His family and friends will miss him. A memorial service will be held at the Thomson Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 22 at 11 AM. All who knew Victor or wish to pay their respects will be welcome at the service and reception.
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