Welcome to the newest edition of our family web site.   We have been maintaining this site since about 1995 and decided a change was needed.  We sincerely hope you enjoy the pictures and videos of our family and   closest friends.

      My father, Tom Lofthouse, passed away at the age of 98 in July of 2003 just a couple of days after his birthday.  I only regret that I didn't tap his vast knowledge of the history of our family.  What information I have is sketchy at best but I will try to give you a brief synopsis of what I know.  As I am able to gather more information, this page will continue to evolve.

     My dad was born Thomas William Lofthouse near New Castle, England on July 15, 1905 and lived in the small town of Tyneside.  My grandmother's name was Jesse.   Her maiden name was Purvis.  More on the Purvis family later.   I never knew my grandfather and his given name escapes me at the moment.  My father's brother's name was Jack.  He later changed his last name to Loftus.  He too passed away in February of 2000.

     The family emigrated to Canada in 1914 and settled in Winnipeg originally where my father and uncle grew up and went to school.  They later moved to Ontario and settled in the Toronto area.  Some years later my dad and grandmother found their way to Windsor Ontario and made their permanent home there.  My uncle Jack stayed behind in Toronto.

     My mother was a Parker.  My grandmother Parker was Nellie and her maiden name was Gray.  My grandfather was Albert Parker.   My grandmother and grandfather Parker, died while I was still quite young.  My grandfather passed first and Nellie later married Jack Shaw.  We used to visit Mr. Shaw, as he became known to me, long after my grandmother had passed on. I remember Jack Shaw as a very nice gentle man. 

     My mother was born Hanna Ilda Parker on April 11, 1905 and lived in Merlin Ontario.  She was a second generation Canadian as far as I know.   Her sister, my aunt Irene, married Lorne Kettlewell but died before I ever knew her.  My mother herself, passed away December 17, 1986 just a few months after our youngest daughter was born.  She was very meticulous about dating and writing comments on all the family photos.  A lesson I have learned.  The photographs on this site will be a testament to that.

     As of this moment, that is all the information I have.   So begins the search for more on my family history.  Keep coming back to this page as it will be updated frequently I am sure.

     Thanks for visiting our site.  Hope you enjoy it.

Grant W. Lofthouse