Lawrence Hodgson Bousfield

(1907.09.06 - 1972.08.?)
SLS, MLS
Commission #128
(1955.05.15)

Lawrence (Lawry) Hodgson Bousfield, SLS, MLS, passed away on August ? 1972, in Winnipeg General Hospital, at the age of 64. Mr. Bousfield was born in Modgeholm, Cumberland, England, the eleventh child in his family; he came to Canada at the age of six.

Grown and educated in Winnipeg he attended the University of Manitoba. He had to work for himself from early days and was playing in dance bands to help finance his education. He served articles under Frank Hyde, MLS, and Dave Neville Sharp in the Manitoba Department of Natural Resources. During the depression he was engaged in mining work with the Sherritt Gordon group at Red Lake, and later at God's Lake, as leveler, prospector and, being a shift boss, flying into Central Manitoba mines with bush pilots. Later in the engineering department he became development engineer.

At the same time he became involved in athletic activities which included boxing, rowing and coaching the local hockey team. He also designed and helped to build the swimming area at Sherridon and taught hundreds to swim.

In 1943 he was commissioned as a Manitoba Land Surveyor, and in 1945 he left the mining industry to work with the Manitoba Department of Highways as a surveyor. In 1946 he was commissioned as a Saskatchewan Land Surveyor. In 1947 he joined the CNR and since 1951 had been regional surveyor for the CNR. He was a past president of the Manitoba Land Surveyors' Association.

In 1936 he was married to Lillian Simpson. They had two daughters, both married to engineers. Mr. Bousfield was very fond of their four grandchildren. In later years he held office in the curling club and was secretary of a bowling club. He liked to be with and around people and enjoyed a membership in the YMCA Health Club. He was active in St. Aidan's Church. Planning to retire in 1972 he had taken up hobbies as painting, making ceramics and sculpturing.

We are all going to miss Lawry Bousfield at our meetings where he was always an active participating member.

From AMLS Biography Committee Report