It is with heavy hearts we announce the sudden passing of Vaughn Crofford. After a brief battle with cancer, Vaughn succumbed on June 25, 2023 at the Ajax hospital. Vaughn, a “Western boy”, was born October 1, 1949 in Craik, Saskatchewan, to parents Earl and Gertrude (Rowe) Crofford (both deceased).
Vaughn began his career working part time for the Co-op in Salmon Arm, B.C., and in 1968 full time as a clerk in Calgary. After a highly-successful 16-year career in various management positions throughout B.C and Alberta, he was moved to the home office of Federated Co-operatives as part of a management team charged with turning around the hardware department. He ended his tenure at Federated as Director of Marketing in 1994, when he took on a new challenge by moving across the country to Ontario to assume the position of President of the Canadian Hardware & Housewares Manufacturers Association (CHHMA). Vaughn is well-respected from both sides of the industry, as would be attested to by the many friends and business associates he has made through the years. He was inducted into the Industry Hall of Fame prior to his retirement in 2018.
Vaughn enjoyed sailing his cruiser, as much golf as he could fit into a week, and having a pint at the Tudor Rose Pub with his Ajax friends who loved to sit around “bullshit corner” and embellish on the length of that putt!
He will be sorely missed by his best friend and partner Maureen Hizaka. His daughters Susan (Ryan) and Sandra, (Jamie - the son he never had) and his grandson, Austin Vaughn Kerr, his namesake. He is so proud to be called Grandpa by that little lad. His brother Terry, nephews Chad and Scott, Janice and Eric Foster, Uncle Ray Rowe, special Aunty Kay Fey, and many family members and friends share this loss.
Family and friends are invited to join Vaughn’s family to celebrate his life at McEachnie Funeral Home, 28 Old Kingston Road, Ajax, on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, from 2 to 6 pm.
Vaughn will be interred at Pine Ridge Memorial Gardens, Ajax, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in memory of Vaughn to Sleeping Children Around The World, Special Olympics Ontario, or a charity of your choice. We thank the nursing staff at Ajax hospital who provided Vaughn with excellent compassionate care.
