Obituary of John Bufton
Obituary: Bufton, John
September 2024
George John Ernest Bufton was born January 29, 1930, in Montreal to Ernest Bufton and Eunice Frost, both from England. He and his sister Evelyn (Annett) attended Montreal High School sharing classes with some well-known figures - William Shatner and Christopher Plumber.
John spent summers in Grand Métis, Quebec. Both his parents worked for Robert and Elsie Reford, who spent their summers at Estevan, a salmon fishing lodge on the Mitis River. Elsie was a huge fan of salmon fishing, which is where John picked up his love of fly fishing, and the great outdoors. Elsie Reford is famous for her passion for gardening and creating the Reford Gardens, which is now a popular tourist attraction. Alexander Reford, Mrs. Reford’s great-grandson, runs the gardens now. Both families have deep roots in this community and the restaurant Le Bufton is named after John’s father, Ernest Bufton.
John’s first job at 19 was with Shawinigan Water and Power where he was posted to the remote location of Rapide Banc. Rapide Blanc is located along the Saint Maurice River, north of La Tuque, which at the time was only accessible by train. While there he met and married Jean Berry (from Beebe, Quebec), and they had three children, Ian, Elizabeth, and David. Through promotions, John moved his family to Shawinigan, Trois Rivières, and finally to Montreal where he was Head of Human Resources for Hydro Quebec.
He married Judy Fletcher in 1983. Taking early retirement at 55, John and Judy loved to spend winters in Florida where they volunteered at the Southeastern Guide Dog School. The summers were spent at Judy’s family cottage at Lac La Peche in Quebec. They enjoyed traveling and put many miles on their VW Westfalia van and Rockwood tent trailer. They finally put down roots in BurgessWood, Ontario where they built their dream home. They continued their volunteer work with Friends of Murphy’s Point and were on various committees at BurgessWood.
John passed away in Lanark Lodge, Perth, Ontario, on Thursday, September 12, 2024. He is survived by his loving family: Judy, his wife of 41 years, daughter Elizabeth, and sons Ian and David. His seven grandchildren also survive him: Sean and Bruce (Ian), Alexandria and Ashley (Elizabeth), and Gordon, Kristi, and Kelsi (David). He is also survived by his daughter-in-law Martha, four great-grandchildren (Parker, Grant, Saba, and Eoin [on the way]), as well as nephew Robert Annett and niece Lois Annett. He is predeceased by his sister Evelyn Annett. He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends.
Family and friends will gather to celebrate George’s life at the Blair & Son Funeral Home, 15 Gore St. W., Perth on Sunday October 6th, 2024 from 2:00 to 4:00PM with sharing of memories at 3:30PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Lanark Leeds Grenville. (https://alzheimer.ca/lanark/en).
