Real estate developer.
Born at Regina, Saskatchewan 14 February 1916 to Philip and Maria Velpel. he worked on the family farm until he came to Winnipeg to enlist in the Royal Canadian Airforce during the Second World War. He worked at several jobs before opening a furniture store on Carlton Street. In the summer, he operated the merry-go-round at Grand Beach, which became a meeting place for teens who loved to dance to the top 40 tunes he played. He started Red River Realty and then Rowandale Development Limited and built homes in East Kildonan and North Kildonan, as well as overseeing the building of his apartment block The Rowandale. After retiring from real estate, he trained horses to race at Assiniboia Downs and raced his horses at various tracks in Canada and in Phoenix, Arizona. He died at Winnipeg on 29 October 2002.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 1 November 2002.
“They will never be forgotten” by Kevin Rollason, Winnipeg Free Press, 31 December 2002, page A8.
This page was prepared by Ian Stewart.
Page revised: 19 January 2017
Memorable Manitobans
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