Gerald Tufts Jr.

Gerald Andrew Tufts, Jr., “Junior”, 92, went to be with his Lord and Savior on July 25th, 2016 at Kavanagh House in Des Moines, Iowa. He was born April 28, 1924 to Gerald and Bertha (Frey) Tufts of Bondurant.

Junior graduated from Bondurant High School in 1943. He married Helen Moss on October 4, 1952 in Bondurant and lived in the home that he built. He lived on the family farm his entire life, and farmed it for many years with his brother, Bob. Junior was a proud owner and operator of a grain and cattle truck. He was a resourceful man, and his ingenuity in creating, revising or building whatever part or piece of equipment he needed came in handy.

Junior was a life-long member of the Federated Church of Bondurant of which his parents were charter members. He served in countless areas including deacon, trustee, church board member, Sunday School teacher, choir member, and youth leader. He was a board member of Farmer’s Elevator. Junior was the father of three children, Mark Tufts of Des Moines, Jim (Deb) Tufts of Bondurant, and Jane (Keith) Christiansen of Bondurant. He was the proud grandfather of Bryan (Jen) Tufts, Mathew (Erin) Conaway, Lauren (TJ) Phillips, Dustin (Whitney) Conaway, Lindsay Tufts, Johnathan Christiansen, Thomas Christiansen and Emily Tufts, and the great-grandfather of Jayden Phillips, Ava and Kerrigan Conaway, Rayne and Rowen Conaway. More than anything Junior loved the Lord Jesus Christ first, then his family. His grandkids were the apple of his eye. There was always time for his kids and grandkids no matter what was going on.

Junior, the oldest of five children, is survived by his siblings, Margaret (Jim) Crady of Springfield, Illinois, Bob (Gerry) Tufts of Bondurant, Jeanette (Bob) Fay of Liberty Township, Ohio, Delores (Robert) Duffy of Derby, Kansas, and many extended relatives.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, July 28th at 6:30 p.m. at the Federated Church of Bondurant, located at 103 2nd St. SW. The family will greet guests following the service. The family would like to thank the staffs at Courtyard Estates in Bondurant for their loving care of “Grandpa” over the last three years, along with Kavanagh House for their compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Polk County Jail Ministries or Hidden Acres Christian Center (Dayton, Iowa).

Condolences may be expressed at:
www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com

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