PART 1:

A Journey That Began in 1960

A legacy of hard work, family, and community that continues today.

A Special Anniversary

September 2025 is a very special month for us at Heffner’s. This month marks the 65th anniversary of operations since our founder - John Heffner Sr. - started his journey in the car industry. So we thought it would be appropriate if we shared snippets of our history, over the next year with you, our valued guests.

The Early Years in Hungary

We’ll go back to the very start of John Sr’s story. John Heffner Sr. was born on Oct 4, 1929 in a small town in southern Hungary called Gara. John lost his father when he was only 4 years old, and was raised by his mother - as she never remarried.

He was your typical boy, mischievous and quite a handful at times. At the core of his being was a kind heart and a love of people. He also had a hard work doctrine as part of his DNA.

He would help out operating the threshing machine, when it came to the town to help with the grain harvest. He would get up early to stoke the boiler to get it ready for the work day. He showed an aptitude for working with his hands from a young age, which eventually led to his getting a job as an automobile mechanic as a young adult.

He also operated the projector at the town theatre, and there he met Mary Zimmermann... his future wife.

Marriage and Family Life

He was married to Mary in 1950 at the young age of 20. Two years later John Heffner Jr. was born. John Sr. had a term of military service at that point, so his life was very full.

After the service he started working in a government service shop that was in charge of servicing all the government vehicles in the area. He would become the manager of the government shop - with about 30 mechanics that reported to him.

The Dream of Canada

He would communicate regularly with relatives that lived in Kitchener, who would encourage him to come to Canada. This really resonated with John Sr. as he always had the desire to have a business of his own - however - in communist Hungary at the time that was not allowed.

After a lot of thinking and anguish about the decision – he finally made the decision to uproot his entire family, cross the border into Yugoslavia and start his trek across the Atlantic Ocean to a strange country called Canada...

More to Come

This is just the beginning of our story. Over the next year, we’ll be sharing more history, memories, and milestones that have shaped Heffner’s into the dealership it is today. Stay tuned for the next chapter!