Laverne Tufts was born on April 14, 1922, a Good Friday, on the family farm in the Fairfax district. He was the sixth child of James and Violet Tufts. He went to school in Fairfax and joined the Canadian Army as a young man in 1942, in the midst of the Second World War.
He became a member of the legendary cavalry regiment Lord Strathcona’s Horse, which had been transformed into an armoured outfit. After training in Camp Borden in Ontario, he moved on to England in 1943, joining a scout car troop. From there, he moved on to the Mediterranean Theatre, spending some time in North Africa before joining the Italian Front by Christmas of that year. He first saw action at the legendary battlefield at Ortona. He was wounded in Italy.
He was later transferred to the northern European front, reaching the Netherlands in April 1945, where he saw the devastation the war had created for the Dutch people. A strong connection was made between them and their Canadian liberators, and Tufts would later return to visit that country and enjoy the special ties. He was discharged from the army in 1946.
Tufts worked for two years in a garage in Newdale, before buying a farm in 1948. In 1950, he married Celia Poole and they had four children – Joan, Carman, Leonard and Dennis. They purchased another farm before moving in to Boissevain in 1976.
He was the service manager for Ken’s Sales and Service John Deere dealership until he became a partner in Triangle Welding, retiring in 1985.
Laverne Tufts has always been known for his mechanical and woodworking abilities. He was renowned for his work with the Boissevain Recycling project, building and repairing all sorts of balers and other equipment, making sure the volunteers could put everything together and get it away regularly. His work with them continued even after he and Cec moved to Killarney in 2006.
Tufts continues going strong, having attended Minnie Pearce’s 100th birthday in Boissevain in the fall of 2021. He obviously enjoyed speaking with old friends and sharing time with his family on April 16, and we at The Recorder wish him many more special birthdays.

by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff