Persona

Colleaux, Victor V.

1891-1974

Victor Colleaux was born on June 6, 1891 at Oak Lake, Manitoba. In 1904 the Colleaux family moved to Saskatchewan, where in the following 10 years they operated hotels in Vonda, Borden and Buchanan. In 1911, Victor’s father, Mr. Frank Colleaux purchased the Albany Hotel and moved to Saskatoon.
In 1920, Frank Colleaux retired, and Victor took over the management of the Albany Hotel. He later purchased the Barry Hotel and the Windsor Hotel. He became a director of the Hotel Association of Saskatchewan in 1928. During the years of 1935 to 1957 he was a vice-president of the Association. He was instrumental in drafting Provincial liquor legislation of the time. Victor retired from the Hotel Association in 1965.
In 1927 Victor Colleaux married Lethe. She died on July 9, 1964. On April 10, 1965 Victor married Zelma (DeLagassy) Egge. She was a widow, a daughter of family friends, F.X. (Jack) and Alvena DeLagassy. Being a true "hotel man" Victor had always resided in hotels. His address until 1968 was the Bessborough Hotel. In 1968 he and Zelma moved to Saskatoon's brand new high-rise apartment building, Marquis Towers.
In 1966, Victor and Zelma established the Victor & Lethe Colleaux Scholarships for undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Between 1984 and 1997, Zelma kept a record book of each of the student award winners and corresponded personally with the recipients.
Victor Colleaux died suddenly in Saskatoon on July 13, 1974. He was survived by Zelma, who passed away in 2001.