Celebrating 100 years with a trio of cakes
WWII vet Laverne Tufts attends the birthday party of a lifetime
BY KIM LANGEN
Over 100 partygoers ventured through the wild weather last weekend to attend a very special event in town.
It was the 100th birthday celebration for the lively and sharp Laverne Tufts, who officially reached that incredible milestone on Thursday, April 14.
Family and friends travelled from near and far for the celebration, which was held at the Shamrock Centre’s Community Hall on Saturday afternoon, April 16.
And although Tufts, who joined up for WWII in 1942 and served as a scout guard, was expecting a good time, the party held in his honour that day turned out to be quite the surprise.
“My son Leonard came out from Brandon, and he picked me up,” said Tufts. “We got there, and lots of people had already arrived there quite a while before me. They cheered and they clapped. And you should have seen the cake. They brought three cakes! All the way from Edmonton. And they were good-sized cakes. I looked at them, and I thought, oh God, these are the three different times of my life. One was decorated with farming implements, things like a monkey wrench, from my life as a farmer, and one was decorated with military stuff, from my life during the war. And one was for old age – there was a big ‘100 Years’ on it.”
It was both a moving afternoon, and a chance for everyone to get together and catch up while saluting the big day, he said.
“I felt very emotional,” said Tufts. “People kept coming. I counted 115 people in the guest book. It was something that I will never forget. Everyone hugged me. I just felt like weeping. But I didn’t.”
Guests made the trip in to Killarney from Elgin, Souris, Minto, Boissevain, and even included his son and daughter-in-law, Dennis and Sheila, who came all the way from Edmonton, Alberta, said Tufts. His daughter-in-law also managed to bring him fresh carrots, potatoes, and parsnips from the market garden shop where she works in Alberta.
“I got a lot of gifts, mostly Easter eggs and candy, and some magazines,” he said. “We had a wonderful party, and everything was so well organized. And the grandkids helped with the clean-up. This was by far the best birthday I ever had.”
Tufts, who was born in 1922 on the family’s Fairfax farm, lives comfortably in his spacious and immaculate Killarney apartment. And he still cooks up his own dinner, always accompanied with a good serving of vegetables.
“I love turnips,” he said. “I like them mashed, along with maybe some bologna or chicken, and roast potatoes. That’s my favourite. And every two weeks Marie Bruce comes in to do my housekeeping. I am still enjoying life and feel great. And I still go to my son-in-law’s, Keith Kemp, most days, to work on vehicles and projects that we have going on. How does it feel to be 100? It feels like any other day. It’s wonderful.”
HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY LAVERNE – Well over 100 people crammed the Shamrock Centre on Saturday, April 16, to give centenarian Laverne Tufts a birthday card, a kiss, a hug, Easter chocolate, some fresh carrots, and even more, making it quite an incredible day for the WWII vet. Tufts – pictured here in his apartment with some of the cards – was born on April 14, 1922, in Fairfax, Manitoba, and still does mechanical work, just for fun.
A SPEECH FROM THE BIRTHDAY STAR – Laverne Tufts, beautifully dressed for the big occasion, makes a speech during his 100th Birthday Celebration held at the Shamrock Centre on April 16.
A DAY TO REMEMBER – Above, the guest book for Laverne Tufts’ 100th birthday party, with at least 115 entries. Below, three fantastic cakes celebrate the life he has led – as a farmer, a soldier, and as a mechanic.
