John Lauchie ‘John L’ Haley

Funeral service for the late John Lauchie ‘John L.’ Haley, 102, Antigonish, was held September 1 in St. Ninian Cathedral with Father Donald MacGillivray officiating. Burial was in the parish cemetery. Mr. Haley died August 26, 2018, in St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, Antigonish. Readers at the funeral Mass were Margaret Zinck, Marilyn Webb and Phil Milner. Daniel Haley, Catherine Haley, Emily Haley and Jenna MacDonald presented the offertory gifts. Eucharistic ministers were Greg and Janice Fraser. Music was provided by Tyrus Wallace. Pallbearers were Doug MacDonald, Raymond Haley, Donnie Zinck, Joe Breen, Ralph Mattie and Roy Cameron. Born May 2, 1916, in Merland, he was the son of the late William and Eva (MacNeil) Haley. He maintained close ties to the Merland community. In his early life, he worked in the woods, sawmills, and on farms in Antigonish County. Later, he was a sheet metal worker in the Halifax Shipyards, where they built naval vessels during the war years. He returned to Antigonish and worked for two plumbing and heating companies. He later opened his own business, J L Haley Plumbing and Heating Ltd., which continues to operate today as a family business. He was one of the first Maytag dealers in Nova Scotia. He went on to become maintenance supervisor at the Antigonish County School Board until his retirement at age 66. He had many interests, including raising farm animals, fishing, camping, and photography. He took up cross country skiing in the 1980s and later started curling. In retirement, he taught himself woodworking; his first project was a wall clock. Over the next 34 years, he made many grandfather clocks, wall clocks, desks, bedroom sets, and tables. He won many prizes for his work at the Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition and regularly donated clocks to fundraising events. He was a storyteller with a good sense of humor. He was generous to others, both through his community involvement and on an individual basis. He is survived by two daughters, Judy, Halifax; Joan (Doug MacDonald), St. Andrews; son, David (Yvonne), Antigonish; four grandchildren, Daniel, Catherine and Emily Haley, Jenna MacDonald; sister, Rita Bakk, Whitehorse, Yukon; several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Margaret (Gillis); brother, Jim; two sisters, Kaye, Loretta. Memorial donations may be made to Heatherton Group Home Society, PO Box 37 Heatherton, Nova Scotia B0H 1R0 or CACL Antigonish, 75 St. Ninian Street, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, B2G 1Y9. Online condolences: www.clcurry.com