Filmmaker completes documentary on Burd Sisler prior to his death at 110

Inside a retirement home in Fort Erie, Burd Sisler, 110, recounted what his father cooked in the 1920s, down to the ingredients. Those interviews now anchor a finished documentary by Stoney Creek filmmaker Abraam Dawod, completed just before Sisler’s death last week and now submitted to festivals.

The film arrives as the community reflects on the loss of Canada’s oldest person, a Second World War veteran and longtime customs officer whose life spanned more than a century. Dawod’s project centres on preserving private memories that do not appear in public records, gathered in the final year of Sisler’s life with the participation of his family across multiple generations.

Dawod began the project after his mother heard about a man in the Niagara region nearing 110. He researched the story, identified Sisler, and contacted the family shortly before the milestone birthday.

He attended the celebration at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 71, where about 300 people gathered, then arranged interviews with Sisler and his relatives in the weeks that followed.

“I ended up interviewing Burd for an hour, and he told me stories dating back a hundred years,” Dawod said.

The initial interview took place at Garrison Place retirement home. Dawod expected a brief conversation. The session extended far longer and produced detailed recollections from early childhood.

“He was telling me stories from the 1920s of the kind of soup his dad used to make, and very specific visual memories,” he said. “I think we all deep down want the emotional realities of our lives to live on.”

Sisler, born in Akron, Ohio in 1915, moved to Canada as a child and later settled in Fort Erie. He served in the Second World War and worked for about 30 years at the Peace Bridge. He remained active in the community into his later years and maintained close ties with the Legion.

Dawod expanded the project after reviewing the early footage. He assembled a small team, raised funds through an online campaign and filmed reenactments with Sisler’s family members in acting roles.

Great-grandsons portrayed young versions of Sisler and his brother. A great-granddaughter played a teenage version of Sisler’s late wife, May. Additional interviews with Sisler’s four children took place inside the family’s former home on Emerick Avenue after the current homeowner granted access.

“It was really an incredible kind of Fort Erie community experience, the whole project,” Dawod said.

The filmmaker described the process as collaborative, with family members contributing time, locations and support. He conducted interviews with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to document family history, including difficult moments alongside milestones.

“What I was really interested in is what are the deeper personal memories that a filmmaker can capture that become lost in history once that person passes,” Dawod said.

Sisler died April 2 of natural causes, weeks before his 111th birthday. His passing was confirmed by Legion officials and followed by visitation and funeral services in Fort Erie.

Dawod completed the film, titled ‘Burd,’ before Sisler’s death. He and his team have submitted it to Canadian and international festivals and are seeking a premiere.

“We really just want to show the film around Canada to different audiences and get Burd’s story out there,” he said.

The filmmakers plan to pursue distribution with a national broadcaster and are developing a related series called ‘Timekeepers’ that would document the lives of other supercentenarians. Dawod said the aim is to present intimate accounts that extend beyond official timelines.

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