Obituary of George Arnold Laevens
George Arnold Laevens of Upper Clements, passed away at Tideview Terrace in Digby, Nova Scotia, August 12, 2023. He was 85 years old.
George was born June 4, 1938, in Simcoe, Ontario, to Arsene and Irene. He married Judy (Huntley) in 1961 and they raised their three children in White Rock, NS.
George worked for many years throughout Nova Scotia as a travelling cash register and business equipment salesman. He seemed to know someone everywhere he went and had no trouble striking up a conversation with someone new. His honesty and integrity earned him many loyal clients and he made himself readily available to help them. On more than one occasion, he would even diagnose a cash register problem just by hearing a few sentences over the phone from the store owner. He loved helping the little ‘Mom and Pop’ style stores, and the owners remembered his kindness for years.
George was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses at age 16, and his faith became the most important part of his life. As newlyweds, George and Judy moved to Digby, NS to pioneer where the need was greater. After raising their family, they once again took up the pioneer (or full-time) ministry and found great joy in helping others learn comforting truths from the Bible. Dad looked forward to a future earthly paradise as promised in God’s Word. He worked hard in both preaching and teaching as an elder in the congregation. He took a special interest in young ones, taking time to really listen to them.
Dad loved music and photography, taking wedding photos for quite a few couples. He enjoyed ice skating and roller skating in his younger years. He loved spending time with his family and was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather, affectionately known as Boppa. Dad was generous and kind and loved to laugh. He was quite the character and made life a lot of fun. He started more than one water fight at home - both indoors and out. He liked to bring flowers home to surprise Mum and would often dance with her in the kitchen. He will be greatly missed.
George is survived by his wife, Judy, their children, Naomi Oakes (Darren), Aaron (Sherri), Becky Humphreys (Jason), and their grandsons, Liam, and Braeden Oakes, and his brother, Edwin (June) and sister, Judy Brydon (Avard), as well as many nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank Dr. Mark Pennell, Dr. Elyse Ross, and Mrs. Debbie Hannam, the entire team at the Annapolis Continuing Care program, and the amazing staff at Tideview Terrace for their loving care and empathy. We truly appreciate the way all of you have worked so hard to care for Dad despite the special difficulties that came along with his advancing Alzheimer’s disease.
Donations, in lieu of flowers, can be made online at donate.jw.org.
A memorial service will be held at the Kingston Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses at 2 pm, August 19th.
The service will also be streamed online via zoom.
Meeting ID: 842 2948 7839
Passcode: 2134