1962: Clare H. Esseltine
Clare H. Esseltine, Tillsonburg
Born in 1924, Clare Esseltine served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. During the war he met his wife Madge, while stationed in England, and was married, in Bristol, on June 16, 1945. He would operate Esseltine Motors in Tillsonburg.
Clare was a member of Tillsonburg Town Council beginning in 1951 and would serve as Deputy Reeve in 1953, 1954, 1958 and 1958; and Reeve from 1960-1962. He was elected as County Warden on January 16, 1962 on the 9th Ballot. In addition, he would serve as the Mayor of Tillsonburg from 1963-1966. In 1974, he was re-elected to municipal council and served as chairman of the Public Works Committee.
He was active in a number of community organizations including the Tillsonburg Kinsman; Ashlar Lodge No. 701 A.F. & A.M., where he was a onetime past master; King Hiram Lodge 78; K-40 Club, Tillsonburg Shrine Club and St. John’s Anglican Church. He also served as president of the Royal Canadian Lodge Branch 153 and was Deputy Zone Commander for the Legion.
He would sadly passed away on March 19, 1976, following a snowmobile accident near Parry Sound.