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megram - 55NovOttawa - Index

It is an honour to speak with Lois Laycock. A
truly caring Canadian, she is a remarkable
woman who, at age 84, continues to make a
significant contribution to society and, more
particularly, our community.
On November 11, she plans to attend
Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Nepean
cenotaph, where she will read one of her celebrated
poems to honour soldiers who have
sacrificed their lives in war.
“I’ve been doing this since 1993,” she
explains. That’s not all she’s been doing.
In 2008, she marked 65 years of volunteer
work. There are no plans to stop. As a resident at Lord
Lansdowne Retirement Residence in the Glebe, Mrs. Laycock
is currently volunteering as vice president of the residents’
council. She’s also still busy with her art. An accomplished
painter, she has two orders for works to be completed this
winter. Her paintings are donated to charities.
Born in Jacquet River, New Brunswick in 1924, she
graduated from Mount Allison University as a secretary and
moved to Montreal in 1942, during the war. Her volunteer
work started there, in 1943, at Air Force House. It was at Air
Force House, in 1945, that she met “the man of my
dreams,” Flight Lieutenant Ralph Laycock. They had three
children, three grandsons and five great grandchildren. This
year she lost her beloved husband. “I had him for 63 years.”
During those years she volunteered for a wide variety
of causes, including the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the
Cancer Society, the Royal Ottawa Hospital, Nepean Home
Support and the Royal Canadian Legion. She also taught
painting, worked as a reporter and wrote five books of
poetry, with proceeds donated to the Legion. Even now she
does readings at various seniors’ facilities and serves the
X
Bells Corners Legion Branch 593 as a judge for
the annual children’s poetry contest.
You can find her books of poetry in universities
across Canada, the United States and
England. And she is proud to have written The
Unknown Soldier, which was featured in the
thousands of programs that were handed out
on Parliament Hill when the Unknown Soldier
was brought home from France in 2000.
It’s no wonder awards decorate the walls
of her suite at Lord Lansdowne. They include
the Governor General’s Caring Canadian
Award, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and a
certificate to recognize her nomination for a YWCA
Lifetime Achievement Award.
But her favourite tribute is a Legion of Honor Award,
bestowed through the Four Chaplains Memorial
Foundation. The award recognizes the legacy of four chaplains
who were aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester when it was
torpedoed by a German submarine in 1943. As the ship
sank and chaos set in, the four army chaplains – a Jewish
rabbi, a Catholic priest, a Methodist minister and a
Reformed church pastor – tended to the wounded and gave
comfort and courage to the panicked men. They handed
out lifejackets until there were none. Then they gave out
their own.As the ship disappeared the four chaplains linked
arms, raising their voices in prayer.
The Legion of Honor Award pays tribute to exceptional
people whose efforts typify that same selfless service to
community and humanity, regardless of race or faith.
It is a testament to all Lois Laycock has accomplished.
The motivation?
“I want to do things for people,” she says.““It’s just me.
That’s the way I am.”
xperience the
X legance
WWW.LORDLANSDOWNE.COM
613-230-9900
Lois Laycock
920 Bank Street In the Heart of the Glebe
Across from Lansdowne Park
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED BY DYMON HEALTHCARE CORPORATION
Resident Spotlight