Haley, John Lauchie "John L", 102, of Antigonish, passed away on August 26, 2018, in St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, Antigonish.

Born May 2, 1916, in Merland NS, 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.

John L had many interests including raising farm animals, fishing, camping, and photography. He was always game to try new things. He took up cross country skiing in the 1980's and later started curling. In retirement, he taught himself to do woodworking; his first project was a wall clock. Over the next thirty-four 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.

John L was thoughtful and generous to others, both through his community involvement and on an individual basis. He instilled this value in his children from a young age. He had a great love of family, especially his grandchildren. He has left a legacy of handmade furniture for each of them.

He is survived by children, Judy, Halifax; David (Yvonne), Antigonish; and Joan (Doug MacDonald), St. Andrews, NS; grandchildren Daniel, Catherine, and Emily Haley and Jenna MacDonald; sister Rita Bakk, Whitehorse, YK; and several nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his wife Margaret (Gillis); brother, Jim; and sisters, Kaye and Loretta.

Visitation will be held Thursday from 7 to 9pm and Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9pm in C.L. Curry Funeral Home, 135 College Street, Antigonish.  Funeral Mass will be held Saturday at 11:00am in St. Ninian Cathedral, Reverend Donald MacGillivray presiding.  Burial in the parish cemetery.

In Memoriam, donations 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] appreciated.

CTV NEWS ATLANTIC: NS clockmaker, 98, donates handmade timepieces to support special program [MAY 2014]