Hardworking Farmer Clifford Dixon Turns 100

Catherine Reynolds | Jul 27, 2022

It is well known that farmers don’t just work until the sun goes down, they work until the job gets done.

That is the personal belief of Clifford Dixon, a farmer who turned 100 earlier this month.

Sitting on his front porch a few days before his birthday near three large piles of wood he cut with a wood splitter, Clifford smiles and calls the milestone, “Just another day.”

A hard worker all his life, Clifford was born on a dairy farm in Keelerville on July 16, 1922. He had one sibling, a brother eight years older, who died in 1968. Clifford’s wife died in 2005 and he has outlived almost every single person from school.

Currently residing with his son and daughter-in-law in Seeley’s Bay, the friendly man reveals the secret of his longevity.

“I never drank or smoked in my life,” he explains. “And I only loved one girl.”

That girl was Anna Simpson who made him wait 11 years to marry. They were introduced by her older brother, Charlie.

The couple lived with their son, John, on a dairy farmer in Battersea, a small village north of Kingston that is home to Ron Sleeth, 78. Clifford’s family were friends and relatives of Ron’s grandparents, Winifred and Ralph Sleeth, who are buried at Sandhill Cemetery.

Turning to Ron, Clifford says politely, “The best person in the world was your grandfather.”

Ron smiles and explains, “My grandfather gave Clifford his first team of horses and my grandmother gave him his first milker because he was milking 14 cows by hand, twice a day. Clifford was known to be a hard worker and was very active right up until his late 90s. He just stopped driving his car last year.”

Clifford was just 16 years old when his father died from a heart attack. He took over the family farm when he was 18. He remembers selling 15 of his cows to pay off the $3,000 balance on his father’s bank loan for a steel covered barn.

“I sold my cows, all but three,” he confirms. “I sold enough to pay off the mortgage so I could start fresh.”

Looking back over the past 100 years, Clifford is impressed with the technological advancements he has witnessed in his lifetime.

“I’ve seen a long of changes,” he confirms.

Of the top 10 inventions that have changed the world: wheel, nail, compass, printing press, internal combustion engine, telephone, light bulb, penicillin, modern contraception, and the Internet - Clifford has been alive for the discovery of four. He marvels at the speed and ease of sending messages by Facebook.

He smiles when he talks about the old barn dances with the piano in the hay mow. He remembers ice cream for five cents; gas for 17 cents a gallon; cheese for three cents a pound; one-dozen eggs for eight cents; and a loaf of bread for eight cents.

With those golden days in the past, Clifford still starts his day by 6 am and spends much of his time cutting wood, operating the riding lawnmower, and resting. After 45 years, he is still a member of the Masonic Lodge.

But time has a way of catching up to us all and Clifford is no exception. His mind is still sharp, but his eyesight is failing, and he was just diagnosed with cancer of the jaw.

“I’ve had to say, I’ve had a good life; I’m very satisfied with it,” says Clifford, softly. “I can’t say anything would have made it better, other than a little more money.”

Looking at his father fondly, 64-year-old John notes, “He is a hard worker and good father. He gave me the best advice years ago: The least said is the easiest mended.”

Asked about the future, Clifford admits he has his reservations about society’s current direction.

“We’re too computerized, it’s getting out of hand,” he says wisely. “If you don’t have a number, you don’t have anything. It’s certainly not like the old days when I used to get money out of the bank, just from the teller recognizing me.”

Grateful for all the blessings in his life, Clifford notes kindly, “If I had to live my life over, I would want it just as it was.”

To celebrate Clifford’s 100th birthday on Saturday, July 16, 2022, the community hosted a drive-by of Clifford’s house in Seeley’s Bay. Afterwards, guests were invited back to the house for cake and punch.