10/05/2026
On Saturday, September 19, Schlegel Villages lost the man who started it all.
Ron Schlegel grew up on a farm near Ailsa Craig, baling straw to pay his way through university and, eventually, a doctorate. That same hunger for knowledge carried him through decades of building: businesses in turkey farming, urban development, and mental health care, and in 1991, the very first Village, in Kitchener.
Ask anyone who spent time with Ron and they'll tell you the same thing first: he talked to everyone. Team members, researchers, visitors, whoever was in front of him. He wanted to know their story, and he listened like it mattered, because to him, it did.
When his own health began to decline, Ron chose to live at The Village of Winston Park, the Village he helped build from the ground up. He and his wife Barb spent those years the way he always had: visiting residents and team members, asking questions, staying curious.
Ron was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to seniors' care and research. But the belief he seemed proudest of was simpler than any award: that every elder holds wisdom, and every person is worth knowing.
Read more about Ron's life and legacy: schlegelvillages.com/news/legacy-ron-schlegel
