With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Frederick Lawrence Tufts, 79, of New Canaan, Connecticut, and Naples, Florida, on June 12, 2026. Surrounded by the love of his family, Fred passed away peacefully following a courageous battle with cancer.
Frederick Tufts
Born on November 26, 1946, in Peabody, Massachusetts, Fred was the son of the late Colonel Henry Harold Tufts, Jr. and Margaret (Lawrence) Tufts. His life was shaped by family, friendship, service, hard work, humor, and an enduring appreciation for the people around him.
Above all else, Fred cherished his family. He was a devoted husband to Julie Scott Tufts, his beloved wife of 55 years. He was a proud father to Christopher Michael Tufts and his wife, Kelli Cumiskey, and Ryan Lawrence Tufts and his wife, Eileen Tufts. He was always present for his family, whether coaching and attending sporting events or providing guidance through life’s educational, professional, and family milestones. Nothing brought him greater joy than being Ampy to his grandchildren Nolan, Oliver, June, Brendan, Reid, Matthew, and Nora.
He is also survived by his brother, Henry Harold Tufts III of Brookline, Massachusetts, and his partner, Rene Garza; his sister, Monica Tufts of White Plains, New York, and her husband, Stephen Povemba; and many nieces, nephews, extended family members, colleagues, and lifelong friends.
Raised in a military family, Fred spent his childhood moving between assignments in Washington, D.C., Salzburg, Austria, Kansas, Hawaii, and other locations. Though he attended four different high schools, he had an extraordinary ability to form friendships that endured throughout his life.
The values instilled by his parents—integrity, responsibility, loyalty, hard work, and devotion to family—became the foundation upon which he built his life. He was also proud to carry the name of his uncle, Frederick George Lawrence, a Corporal in the United States Army Air Forces who was killed in action over Japan on August 7, 1945, just one week before the end of World War II.
Fred attended Santa Clara University, where he earned both a BA in History and an MBA. Santa Clara remained close to his heart throughout his life, not only because of the education and friendships it provided, but because it was where he met Julie, beginning a partnership that would shape the rest of his life.
Long before his professional success, Fred developed the work ethic that would define him. As a young teenager, he waited tables at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant and later drove a Holsum Bread delivery truck in Honolulu, rising before dawn to complete his route so he could spend afternoons surfing.
Continuing a tradition of military service, Fred participated in ROTC while at Santa Clara and was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army. Trained as an artillery officer, he served for 13 months in Chuncheon, South Korea, and was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant.
Following a brief stint with Ford Motor Company, Fred joined IBM in 1975. What began selling typewriters and business equipment in the San Jose area evolved into a remarkable 42-year career in sales and relationship management. His work took him across the United States and around the world. During the late 1980s, he helped establish IBM’s presence in China, spending three years living in Hong Kong with Julie and their family. He later worked in Paris and held numerous leadership roles throughout his career.
Although proud of his professional accomplishments, Fred measured success less by titles than by relationships. His years at IBM fostered friendships across continents that lasted a lifetime, and those relationships remained among his greatest treasures.
As much as Fred enjoyed travel and the opportunity to experience new cultures, his greatest joy was always coming home to his family. Family vacations and time together created some of his most cherished memories. He loved Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Tuscany, and especially welcoming family and friends to Naples, Florida. Crossword puzzles on the beach, Beefeater and tonics, and bottles of Sea Smoke Pinot Noir often accompanied those gatherings.
Fred approached life with enthusiasm, curiosity, generosity, and humor. He was a trusted friend, thoughtful mentor, joyful uncle, and someone who could make any gathering more enjoyable.
An avid golfer and passionate fisherman, Fred found some of his greatest joys on the golf course and on the water, pursuits that were always more about companionship than competition. He was a longtime member of the Country Club of New Canaan and the Royal Poinciana Golf Club in Naples. He eagerly anticipated the annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby and cherished fishing adventures in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and the mangrove waters south of Naples. Whether standing in a trout stream, casting from a Vineyard beach, navigating the backwaters of Florida, or enjoying a round of golf with family and friends, Fred was happiest when sharing the experience with people he loved.
Fred’s legacy is not found in a résumé, a trophy, or a title. It lives on in the friendships he nurtured, the family he adored, the values he embodied, and the countless memories he helped create. His was a life well lived, and he will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at St. Aloysius Church, 21 Cherry Street New Canaan CT 06840, followed by a celebration of life. Interment will be private and held at a later date.
The Tufts Family is being compassionately cared for by the staff at Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main Street New Canaan CT 06840. For online condolences please visit www.hoytfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Fred’s memory to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Fred and his family were deeply grateful for the extraordinary care, compassion, and dedication provided by his physicians, nurses, and medical staff throughout his more than 25-year journey with cancer. Although he faced the disease for much of his adult life, he rarely complained and never allowed it to define him.
The family would also like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the many friends and family members who provided unwavering support, kindness, and encouragement to Fred, Julie, Chris, and Ryan, particularly during the past two years when it was needed most. Their generosity, friendship, and love were a source of strength and comfort, and the family will be forever grateful.
My Friend Freddy Tufts
I first met Freddie Tufts when I coached my son and his sons in Cub league baseball in New Canaan. That makes it about 40 years give or take. More than enough to learn who Freddie was.
We lost a good one, I dare say the country lost a good one, in Freddie Tufts. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and father in law. He loved his work, IBM and his business colleagues. A man of strong faith and a true patriot, a military veteran who loved his country. He loved living in New Canaan and Naples, Florida, towns where people respected each other and kept everything in proper order. Sounds like a lot of love and it was. If we could ask God what he hoped for when he created man, his answer may have been Freddie Tufts. Freddie was everything we were taught to be, well mannered, respectful, honest, hardworking, thankful for what he had, the perfect family man. A standard I always admired, especially knowing how difficult it was to be.
If I could just tell a few stories about my times with Fred, I think they will resonate with those who knew him and for those that may have just been acquaintances, give you a better understanding of who he was.
Freddie loved his golf, being with “the boys” and having a few Beefeater and tonic’s in a tall glass with a lime. He was the only guy I know who could shoot a 92, with a few lost balls and have great day! Thank goodness IBM kept him in good supply.
Our rounds always started with Freddie making a $5 bet going to the winner. While I laughed at how bad some of his shots were, invariably he would rally with a chip in or a 30 foot putt to halve the hole or match and with it came his rejoice, “budda bing, budda bing”. $5 never seemed to change hands, it was just a way to get in each other’s heads.
His passion for golf and joy from being “with the guys” led Fred to organize numerous golfing trips to Scotland, Ireland and Spain,, all planned by Freddie. It spanned at least 12 years.They were filled with with adventure, challenging golf, lots of laughs and often with too much to drink and eat. And memories we still talk of today. There was our stay at the Dunvegan Inn and bar in St. Andrew’s where after drinks with the day’s caddies, we would retire to the third floor for dinner and stay in dormitory like rooms with cots, four to a room. 30 pounds each, I recall. Never try to out drink a Scotsman from St. Andrew’s.
There was the night in Ireland where we experienced a singing dog sitting on the bar. Of course we sang along in harmony . No doubt among the other patrons, the dog had a better voice!
Another night in Ireland, at a local pub, Freddie showed his love of his Irish heritage by joining the locals in song, hitting all of his favorite Irish tunes.
There was the night in Madrid at Casa Lucio’s, Spain’s equivalent of the 21 Club, where Freddie raved about his steak and the simple salad of lettuce and tomato with olive oil. He must have said 20 times that night and often over the next 15 years, Schapeau, do you remember the dinner we had in Spain? Truth be told, 12 of us went to a nightclub that night where you had to check your shoes to enter. A requirement that later led to a challenge for one of the group. Needless to say, we left the club at 3am, every man to himself, for our hotel rooms to prepare for a 6:30am flight to Malaga. Freddie was the only one to make the flight. The rest of us straggled in separately over the next 6 hours. Freddie was there to meet each of us, except for one, as our flights arrived. The exception had lost one of his shoes and had his Wallet stolen. That was a story in itself but he did make it!
It was my turn that night to share a room with Freddie. Everyone else had already had that pleasure. Knowing Freddie’s appreciation for order and neatness, I was first to our room. I carefully unpacked my suitcase and put my clothes neatly folded on a bench with my shoes neatly placed below, then left to meet the others. When we returned from dinner I realized my clothes and shoes had been moved with my shirts in the closet and my shoes reordered. When I asked Freddie he said, “Schap I just wanted them in a different order or position”. not a problem is it”. I had to laugh. (Julie, is a saint!).
Regardless of the country, Freddie always found the restaurant the locals frequented. The food was always good, offering locally produced ingredients and plentiful, the company entertaining and always as Freddie would say, a “price performer”. Freddie could certainly afford more but he was born with Yankee frugality. Appreciated by all of us.
For those less adventurous, there was our annual New Canaan Yacht Club Christmas luncheon, most memorable were those at Franks Steakhouse on15th Street in NYC where we reserved a table for 10 and ate, drank and laughed the afternoon away. We arrived in mid afternoon and made sure we left before dinner so as not to upset the patron’s with our singing of Christmas carols, especially our version of O’Tannenbaum, O’Tannebaum led by Dr. Westfall. Not done well but loud!
(There were many stories but my hope was to help you better understand Freddie and remind you of why we loved him so much. He was a man’s man, he loved to spend time with the guys, have a good laugh, a Beefeater and tonic, a round of golf, a good meal and never gave up his belief in his effort to be frugal where and when appropriate. He was competitive, someone you could trust to be there, always well organized with everything in order, reliable, timely, generous, optimistic, modest and humble, He showered and shaved and had his shirts buttoned down and his pants pressed.
At a time when our country seems so divided, Freddie showed us all how and why we need more people like him, raising families, loving their country, tolerant of others, respecting their rights.
I know when Freddie gets to the gates of heaven, St. Peter will say, Freddie, your tee time is in an hour, go to range, work on your drives, and don’t be late.
To Freddie I say, I will meet you on the back 9, just take your time getting there. Love ya! Miss you.
Your buddy and admirer.
Kim Bob