The 3rd Annual Zoomer List: Canada’s Top 45 Over 45: Larry Duffield

Larry Duffield, 70, Immediate Past Chair of CARP’s Windsor, Ont., Chapter

After nearly 37 years with the federal department of foreign affairs and international trade – 25 years spent in foreign postings – Duffield “retired” to Windsor, Ont., in 2004, where he and his wife, Joyce, now operate a B&B. Volunteering has always been part of his psyche, and he campaigns tirelessly to make his adopted hometown age-friendly. Duffield is active with Meals on Wheels, the Windsor Seniors Advisory Committee, the Centre for Seniors Windsor and Canterbury College as well as being a founding member of ElderCollege at the University of Windsor. The city’s mayor, Eddie Francis, called Duffield an inspiration when he presented him with the Senior of the Year Award this past July. “We have a disproportionate number of seniors who are healthier and wealthier than any generation before. The senior population is of enormous importance. From a social policy point of view, we’re struggling with the cost of health care and social services. It is wrong to sideline seniors. We are not only part of the solution – we are the solution.”