Obituary of Edward James Lanigan

Lanigan: Edward James It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of our beloved father Edward James Lanigan on April 27th at Carveth Care Centre at the age of 101. He was predeceased by his loving wife Madge (nee Wells) and will be dearly missed by his children Francis (Margaret), Mary Ellen (Gerard), Edward Jr, Michael (Mary Ann) and Anne Marie (Victor). Dad was blessed to have 12 Grandchildren Barry (Genevieve), Alan (Heather), Tim, Anne Marie (Dan), Jennifer (Jeff), Christopher, Michael, Matt, Luc (Michelle), Mike (Brianne), Carrie (Taylor) and Melissa. He is also survived by 15 great grandchildren and predeceased by one great grandchild. He loved spending time with his family and never wanted to miss out on any of their accomplishments or sporting events. Ed was born in Calgary in 1918 to Bernard and Winnifred. He loved to share the stories of his childhood out west with his brothers John and Bernard who have predeceased him. He is survived by his baby sister Mary (Bernard) Gogarty. Ed travelled to Ontario in his teens to attend school in Brockville. He received his Normal School Certificate in Toronto. He always joked that he even had a certificate to prove he was normal. It was in 1939 that dad moved to Williamsburg to teach and this is where his long career in teaching began. He enjoyed 37 years teaching which included schools in Williamsburg, Berwick, Kingston and Gananoque. Ed and Madge moved to Gananoque in 1959 and he retired from teaching in 1975. He wasn’t very good at sitting idle for too long so soon after retiring he began working part time with Investor’s Group for a number of years. Ed was very church and community minded and spent much of his time volunteering wherever he was needed. He spent his time working with many organizations such as Knights of Columbus (Fourth Degree), Catholic Parent Teacher Assoc., Legion of Mary, Heart and Stroke, CNIB, Retired Teachers Organization, Citizens’ Advisory Committee Member and Wheels of Care. He also loved travelling and meeting new and old friends. Ed lived at Carveth Care Centre for the last 4 years and the family would like to thank all the doctors, nurses and staff who took such good care of him. Our dad will be remembered for his love of family, church and community and of course his sharp sense of humour ….. right up until the end. A Memorial Mass will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church at a later date. In lieu of flowers please make donations to St. John’s Restoration Fund or to the charity of your choice.