George Arthur Laing

George was an outgoing man with a great sense of humour. He overcame many struggles in his life, including an addiction to alcohol. He was always ready to help others whenever needed.

Always an adventurer, he had an interesting variety of vocations, including logging, prospecting, gathering greenery from the wild for flower shops, teaching bridge, and directing duplicate bridge games. He directed bridge at Monterey Center in Oak Bay for many years. George was always generous with his time. He would come early to bridge tournaments to help set up and stay late to help tear it all down again. He often played ‘standby’ so that there was no half table or to partner a single player.

George loved the ocean, boating and beachcombing. He found many beautiful pieces of driftwood that he turned into art. He built and fixed many boats in his day, and for a time lived on a sailboat that he had fixed up. He was very proud of this particular boat. George also loved music, took music training in college, and trained in opera in his 60s! One of his favourite things was to gift a song to a passerby, or the bus driver!

George is survived by his former wife Anne, their daughter Elizabeth and granddaughter Lily, and his former wife Deb. He touched many lives and will be fondly missed by all who knew him.