LAING, Raymond Beverley – age 49, of Lantz, passed away peacefully on Tuesday December 30th, 2025 after a brief battle with Cancer, with his wife, daughters, and close friends and family by his side.

Ray grew up in Sambro.  He attended Sambro Elementary and Herring Cove Junior High.  He played hockey, joined Scouts, climbed the High Barings, swam in the brook, went camping and generally just loved life.

In High School, at JL Ilsley, he met the love of his life, or at least that’s the story I’m telling, and moved into the city (and then out of the city into the bustling metropolis of Lantz).  Though Sambro was never far from his heart.

And from there, he built a life that he loved.

He loved his wife.  I know this because I felt it every day.  We prioritized our relationship.  We went on dates from the time that we started dating and for the 34 years thereafter. We accepted each others faults and shortcomings because despite those things we made each-other happy.  We loved and laughed more than we did anything else.  He was my balance and my anchor.

He loved his kids.  When they entered this world he was complete. He coached their soccer teams, he sat front row for their performances, and he was over the moon when they joined him in the Sambro Dinner Theatre to perform alongside him.  Watching them onstage at the Disneyland Castle in Paris was the highlight of his life.  He was and is their protector, and their rock.

He loved his friends and his family.  He was forever up for a BBQ, a golf game, a DND night, a karaoke night, a family games night, a party, or just a quiet dinner among his people. 

He loved “his” dog (Pep).  Which we had to convince him was a good family purchase.  But from the moment he met her, she was his.  She went with him to job sites, to run errands, to pick up kids, and most of those trips started or ended at the dog park, or with a game of catch in some field.  She was forever by his side.

He loved to sing.  Songs, strings of random words, road signs as we were driving by them.  He would happily belt out a tune for strangers on a karaoke night, or for his community at the Dinner Theatre or the holiday sing along at Saint James United.   

He loved adventure.  We went to Boston to watch the Bruins in Boston Gardens.  We went to Toronto to see Sting in concert.  We took the kids to New York for the Theatre, to Disney for the rides, and to Europe for the experience. Every weekend was a road trip somewhere new in Atlantic Canada.

He loved good food.  We tried every restaurant, café and bakery in and around Nova Scotia, and while we were doing that he mastered the art of cooking.  We would go to a restaurant, fall in love with a meal, and he would replicate it for anyone that wanted to share our table. 

He loved his work.  In his careers as a bridge builder (Cherubini Metal Works) and a Carpenter (Trim Landscaping) he had the opportunity to contribute to the changing landscape of Halifax and Dartmouth. When you are walking across the suspension bridge at Lake Banook, or the pavers on Argyle Street, the Canada 150 Bridge on the Dartmouth Waterfront, the Peggy’s Cove deck, or the Queen’s Marque in downtown Halifax, you are walking on something he helped create. 

When he hung up his hard hat to give his “old” knees a rest, he joined the team at On Side Restoration as a Project Manager where he helped homeowners navigate and rebuild after a disaster, working through the floods in Halifax, and the wildfires in Hammonds Plains, NS and St Johns, NLD.

Raymond is survived by his wife, Kate Laing, his daughters, Mya and Izzy Laing, his mother Eunice (Crossman) Laing, his brothers Kim and Danny Laing, and many aunts, uncles, nephews and cousins.

He was predeceased by his father Ken Laing, several uncles and aunts, and a very dear cousin.

Cremation has taken place under the care and direction of Ettinger Funeral Homes, Shubenacadie and Elmsdale.

Donations in memory of Raymond can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

A service will take place at Saint James United Church in Sambro on Saturday January 17th at 1:30pm with a gathering in the church hall after the service. Please come as you are.  As much as Ray loved a suit, he also loved a good pair of shorts – even in the winter.

Tributes, words of comfort and memories of Raymond may be shared with the family at www.ettingerfuneralhome.com