John Arnold Pompei Lanzo - Lest We Forget

John Lanzo was born July 18, 1897 at Donald, B.C. His father, Joseph Lanzo, was born July 16, 1859 in Italy and came to Canada in 1889. His mother Maria (Colucci) Lanzo was born August 15, 1876 in Italy and came to Canada in 1895. John had three sisters and five brothers.

John Lanzo signed his enlistment papers October 25, 1917 at Revelstoke. His regimental number was 2022475. He was 20 years old, single, 5’ 6” tall with brown hair and grey-brown eyes. His religious affiliation was Roman Catholic. He worked on his family’s farm on Airport Way, just past Nichol Road.

John Lanzo died on August 7, 1919 in Revelstoke. The Review reported on his funeral in Revelstoke:

“John Lanzo has Military Funeral

 The many friends in the city of Pte. John Lanzo were pained last Saturday to hear of his untimely death at the age of 22 years, of spinal meningitis,

            Deceased, who had lived in the city nearly all his life, had made many friends in Revelstoke, having attended school here, and grown up with the city. He enlisted on March 31st, 1918, with a re-enforcement battalion at Vancouver, and went overseas shortly afterwards. He saw considerable fighting, and while not wounded, was gassed. He returned to Revelstoke two months ago. About two weeks ago he was taken to the hospital suffering from spinal meningitis, from which he never recovered, and passed away on Saturday.

            Besides his sorrowing parents, deceased leaves three sisters and five brothers to mourn his loss, the sisters being Misses Pauline, Elizabeth and Patricia and the brothers, Carman, Peter, Pellegrine (Vincent), Victor and Augustine.

            The funeral took place on Tuesday morning, the remains being taken from Howson’s Undertaking Parlors to St. Francis church at 9 o’clock, where services were conducted by Rev. Father McIntyre, the pall-bearers being three members of the 7th battalion, to which deceased was attached, namely C.A. Procunier, Jr., Fred McMahon, and J. Robertson, and three civilian friends of deceased, Peter Moran, Graham Cocoroch, and E.R. Bregolisse.

            At the grave a military service was held, the last post being sounded by Mr. Wesley Overton. The cortege was the largest seen in Revelstoke in years, and included about thirty members of the G.W.V.A., (Great War Veterans Association) marshaled by Dr. J.H. Hamilton.  A large number of automobiles and driving rigs were in line.

            The casket was draped throughout the ceremony with the Union Jack.”

John Lanzo is buried at the Mountain View Cemetery here in Revelstoke. Although his name is not on the Courthouse or Cenotaph plaques he was given a military funeral, his gravestone does have the Maple Leaf engraved on it, and he did die of effects from his war wounds almost a year after the end of the war. He is also listed on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial Site, which contains the list of all those who perished in Canada’s wars and his name is on the Pages of Remembrance for the year 1919. Relatives of the Lanzo family still live in Revelstoke.

The Lanzo family farm was located on Airport Way, just past Nichol Road. The A-Frame barn, built around 1916, was a local landmark for many years.