kathy Goff (Niece)

Entered March 23, 2021 from Chatsworth

Brian and Allison. My thoughts are with you and your family. He was such a kind and caring man .He was always my favourite Uncle. I have so many fond memories of visiting your home and having so much fun tobogganing down that great hill in your backyard and playing with your great dogs. You are in my heart. Kathy

Jim and Anna Merritt and Family (Nephew)

Entered March 24, 2021 from Selwyn, Ontario

I am so sorry for your loss...My sincere condolences from my family to yours...My thoughts are with you, Brian and Allison during this very difficult time.
Jim

Maria Cinelli & Family (Friend)

Entered March 24, 2021 from WOODBRIDGE

Dear Laing Family,
Our sincere condolences on the passing of your dear father and our dear friend Allan.
He was a gentle soul and caring person who will be greatly missed.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Sincerely
Maria Cinelli & Family

Virginia (Ginny) Merritt (Niece)

Entered March 26, 2021 from Ottawa

Please accept my sincere condolences for the loss of your father. No matter how old, it is never easy to lose a parent. I remember Allan as a devoted husband to my Aunt Norma. Even as a child, I thought they were so well matched. I enjoyed my Uncle Allan for his dignity, intellect, and mostly his sense of humour that, I must admit, took me a while to fully appreciate. When I was young, I never knew whether or not to take him seriously. Eventually, I caught on and watched for the funny things he could slip into a conversation almost unnoticed. I will remember him with fondness as I do my Aunt Norma.

Ginny

Shirley Edwards (Friend and Neighbour)

Entered March 26, 2021 from Niagara on the Lake

Allan was our neighbour for 12 years in Ballantrae. We enjoyed him sharing all of his wonderful stories about his fascinating career and travels. Allan loved to experience life and nothing kept him from doing that. Another one of his most favourite topics of conversation was his treasured grandchildren. I feel I know them all very well just by hearing about all of their adventures, he was very proud of them.
When we moved to Niagara on the Lake, Brian brought Allan for a visit. It was great to show him our new place. He was a very thoughtful and caring gentleman.
When we have a glass of Scotch we will think of Allan. We are lucky to have had him as our friend.
Shirley and Rob Hutchison

In Honour of Alan Laing

Today we gather together in various forms of communications from near and far to honour the life of a very special person to all of us.

In so many ways, Alan touched our lives and made it a little better for having known him.

My journey with Alan began on a winters day in early 1984. I was beginning a new chapter in my career with Canadian Pacific that would take me to the wilds of Revelstoke British Columbia.

We were meeting at Alan's home in Richmond Hill which was the start of what would become the first chapter of a close working relationship and a lifelong friendship.

Working together we were given the task of developing on film a five year chronology of the largest railway project not only in Canadian Pacific history since the building of the railway in 1881 but also

the largest of its kind at the time worldwide.

Alan was the absolute right choice as he brought invaluable experience having worked for McKim, a large multinational ad agency that CP used. He had written and produced several Canadian Pacific commercials for TV culminating in a major documentary film celebrating the company's 100th anniversary.

That film to date remains the best Canadian Pacific history documentary ever produced.

Like the saying, Alan and I just clicked from the moment we shook hands.

When he first came out to the Rogers Pass project, we laughed over dinner as we fully grasped the scope of the five year journey before us.

My first task was to orientate Alan on the immense physical and complex layout and significant construction challenges of the project.

The next day we lumbered over 20 miles of the new project. I drove him along a so called access road that even mountain goats would have shied away from. Poor Alan wasn't sure of my driving skills as I noticed him hanging onto

the hand grip above the passenger door while we bounced off rocks. He did look a little pale.

In the end though, he had a better understanding of what the project was all about and the challenges that we faced.

With this start and mountains of material I sent him, he carved out ultimately four project movies including the last and most dramatic 90 minute feature aptly titled Challenge. Now more than 30

years after its release it is still viewed by thousands both on the internet and through DVD sales.

But Alan also had his little eccentricities. The one that amused me most was his simple and consistant approach to dinner.

After often 12 hour film shooting days, we'd head back to Revelstoke and dine at a restaurant called the 112. Usually Alan came up for a week at a time of shooting and
every night, no matter what, Allan would order the same…….. a dry dry dry martini followed by a six ounce (not 7 not 8) steak with a Caesar salad. It got to the point
our host didn't even ask.

I once…. only once…. convinced him to try a wonderful German restaurant. Big Mistake.

For the balance of the week in the Jeep and from then on, all I heard was "It wasn't like the 112". Lesson learned.

Travelling to and from the project took about an hour. I put together a cassette tape.. this was ,long before CD's and the like… of old songs from the 40s and 50s that he loved. We both enjoyed the music as we went to and from the project.

Whether we were standing close to mammoth machinery or,waiting for a hillside explosion or huddled in a rough, damp tunnel thousands of feet underneath Mount MacDonald, we never tired and seemed to spur each other on.

There was no such thing as the impossible.

Although that life experience ended in 1989, our friendship continued. Around 2000 Alan came to Calgary where I met him and we drove up to the old project and took a day reminiscing and touring all the places we'd been

and worked. Later in Vancouver I had the honour of taking him to what had been his frat house. He was like a child transformed back in time as we wandered in and around, pointing out where his old room had been.

Two years ago, my wife and I travelled to Toronto and we had dinner with him. While he had started to age noticeably, the twinkle and smile were still there as we reminisced over…. yes his martini, six ounce steak and Caesar salad.

We kept in contact via e-mail until his eyes started to fail. I last spoke to him about three weeks ago not knowing it would be the last.

But I also have some cherished keepsakes. Alan loved painting as you may know and he painted a scene of early stages of construction on the Rogers Pass Project which he gave me. It hangs in my home office. Every time I look at it

I think of him.

The other keepsake is a little trick that Alfred Hitchcock used to use. In all four films there are little cameos of Alan and in the last one both of us. It made us really laugh as it was our way of being preserved forever on film.

Luckily I have several photos of Allan from our Rogers Pass Days that I have reflected on the last few days. These are days of mourning now.

But, I know he's alright and I am sure we'll meet again on some dusty road in the hereafter Rogers Pass. And I also know what he'll say. It will be this isn't the 112
and he would like a martini, a six ounce steak and a Caesar salad.

Rest well my dear dear old friend.

Stephen Morris

Ellen Case 27 03 2021

Allan was a kind and true friend that I have known for sixty years. We first met when Allan was the Art Director on a shoot for a magazine article. A few years later we reconnected when I married one of Allan’s colleagues and friends at McKim Advertising. Many years later when my husband became seriously ill Allan often visited him at our home. I witnessed how thoughtful and loyal he was to his friends. In those difficult days before my husband’s death Allan often emailed to ask if I needed anything or how he might be of help.

As I learned to cope with mourning we wrote frequently sharing news about our respective families, our activities, travel and about what we were reading. I was always amazed at the extent of his reading and of his carefully expressed views on life and world affairs. He was intelligent and witty. One day in his eighties Allan’s email began, “You soon may very well be corresponding with a Greek God.” He had just hired a personal trainer to help strengthen his weakening leg muscles. He was concerned about losing his mobility. Occasionally I would send an email with “You Greek Gods will know about…” whatever our topic happened to be.

When Allan’s vision began to fail our emails gave way to phone calls. His last call came about ten days before he left us. He was in hospital but pressing to go home. The way any Greek God would do.

Hi Brian,
I hope this note finds you well. I heard from my mother that your father had passed and I wanted to
send you my condolences.
Our mothers were very close and got managed to get into all sorts of adventures together. Us kids
were along for the very pleasant ride. I remember coming to your place in Thornhill for Friday night
Burger night. Always a fun time looking for tadpoles down by the creek and watching you pound
cannonballs on Allison in the swimming pool.
Our Alpha mothers were always in the forefront and our Dads did what Dads did at the time.
I did not particularly like talking to adults at the time but I do remember your Dad always had a little
mischief in his eyes and a cool confidence.
At some point, I think I was around nine and my Dad had his 40th birthday and my parents decided to
throw a party. No kids, just adults.
All the normal standing around with cocktail glasses, sideburns and the women wearing wigs. No
speeches to speak were planned but out of nowhere your Dad got up and asked for everybody’s
attention. He had a large whiteboard with him and revealed a drawing he made of my father. Playing
a doctor in front of many doctors he had the room in stiches explaining how my Dad’s body was on
the verge of breaking down due to old age. Hilarious. The party was taken up a notch and was a big
success.
We talked about it for weeks and to this day everyone in my family remembers Mr Laing’s great
speech. It was the first time I saw someone get up and make a whole room laugh at a presentation. I
didn’t know you could do that.
To this day when I have to speak in public I think of your Dad’s cool, humorous presentation and I
subconsciously ask myself what would Mr Laing do in this situation.
Best wishes for the coming time to you, Allison and your families.
Love,
Traps