Roger de C. Nantel, LVO, CD R.I.P.

Roger de C. Nantel, LVO, CD passed away peacefully, on January 22, 2026, at the age of 94.
Born July 19, 1931, in Outremont, Québec, to Eugène Nantel and Henriette de Chaunac de Lanzac, he pursued a life of service and public duty.
A graduate of Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean, Roger served as an aviator in the Royal Canadian Navy with Squadron VS-880, including carrier operations aboard HMCS Bonaventure. He later served as Aide-de-Camp to Governor General Georges Vanier and as Chief of Protocol for Expo 67. In 1967, he was appointed Registrar of the Order of Canada and Assistant Secretary to the Governor General, positions he held for two decades. He was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) and received the Canadian Forces’ Decoration (CD). He retired from the public service in 1991.
Roger raised his two sons with their mother, Louise, in Ottawa. He later shared four decades with his partner, Michèle, in Quebec City and Trois-Rivières.
A lifelong builder and adventurer, Roger constructed and flew his own biplane and loved travel, fishing, hunting, and sailing. He is survived by his sons, Jérôme (Jocelyn) and Alain (Manon); his grandchildren, Chloée, Arianne, and Théo; his partner, Michèle Allard, her children, Richard, France, and Éric, and their families; as well as his niece, Marie-Claude, and nephew, Jean-François (Valérie), children of his late brother, Alain (Suzanne, also deceased). He will be remembered with respect and deep affection. A visitation will be held at Tubman Funeral Homes – Garden Chapel, 3440 Richmond Road, Nepean, on January 25, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., followed by a service and reception at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Shearwater Aviation Museum Foundation.

The Order of Canada – FOUNDER PERSONALITIES
Who were the dozen or so Canadians who played a leading role in the establishment of the Order of Canada? They ranged from The Queen and Governor General Georges Vanier through to more modest officials such the designer of the Order’s insignia Flight Sergeant Bruce Beatty, the first Registrar of the Order Roger de C. Nantel and the first employee of the Order of Canada Secretariat, Joyce Bryant.

Chancellery of Canadian Orders and Decorations
A naval aviator serving in the Royal Canadian Navy, Nantel would spend several years as Aide de Camp to General Georges Vanier and serve as a senior protocol officer during the 1967 Centennial celebrations. In late 1967 he would be appointed the first Registrar of the Order of Canada, a position he would hold until 1986. Along with playing a significant role in the administration of the Order of Canada, Nantel was also instrumental in the work surrounding the creation of the Order of Military Merit and Canadian Decorations for Bravery in 1972.