It can be said of Harmon Wilfred, that he is a man of principle and of service. He
has lived his life as an example of what it means to stand up for what
is good and right, not just in the eyes of the politically correct, but
truly what is in the best interests of those he serves. From
the time of his youth, Harmon has committed his life to serving others
through his humanitarian contributions to his community and business
enterprises. From his first job at age 8 of delivering newspapers to the
local community and then at age 16 beginning his adult business
career at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and then on to his
voluntary four years of US military service during the Vietnam War,
Harmon has always displayed his enduring commitment to community and
country.
Carolyn
Dare is the daughter of Ruth and Carl Dare, of the global food company,
Dare Foods of Ontario, Canada. Imagine the adventures of growing up in
the midst of a world class cookie company! Carolyn has many a fond
memory of going into the family cookie factory on weekends and watching
with intrigued wonder as the ingredients magically combined to come out
as wonderful, flavorsome, mouthwatering cookies. Her most enjoyable
memory is of climbing a ladder and peering down into a large vat of
creamy, swirling, hot milk chocolate and embracing the aroma to her
hearts content. Combine this with fabulous summers spent at the family
cottage in Northern Ontario's Muskoka lake district, immersing herself
in her love of nature, and learning all of the skills that are an
essential part of living in the northwoods of Canada by the lake..... it
just doesn't get any better than that.
In
her young adult years, Carolyn trained as a preschool teacher with a
special emphasis on challenged children. Her innate nurturing qualities
saw her excel in this field of work and this has translated into her
strongly held philosophy of family and children first and foremost. As
she embarked on her early career she worked with challenged children,
established and ran her own nursery school, and lived and worked on her
family farm that specialized in the raising and sale of pigs and
chickens. Carolyn's parents instilled in her from a very early age the
gifts of hard work, honesty, integrity and responsibility for those
around her that are less fortunate. She could often be found
volunteering for many organizations involving children, the elderly, and
animal foundations. From these early lessons, she developed a strong
sense of compassion for all living things.
On August 2, 1998, at the ages of 49 and 46 respectively, Harmon and Carolyn were married in the Shakespearian Gardens at Stratford, Ontario. Having
met late in life, both decry their absolute belief that they never knew
love until their first personal encounter of each other in Canada in
the summer of 1997. Even though they both grew up
on opposite sides of Lake Erie, Harmon on the US side and Carolyn just
north of the Canadian shore, it would seem that their fate to meet and
be married would wait for the Creator’s ideal timing. After 3 years of marriage, they decided to explore other life styles and opportunities around the world and ultimately found New Zealand to be a land of wonderful people, quiet lifestyles, and fantastic business investment opportunities.
