Vicki Laird

Vicki Laird

Our beautiful girl, Vicki Laird, has left us to be with passed friends and family. She went softly and peacefully in the early hours of February 2, 2023, following a courageous battle with cancer.

Born Vicki Lynne on October 11, 1962, she was the youngest of six children to Bill and June McAnally of Burlington, Ontario. To quote her brother Gregg, “we didn’t really know what to do with this wee toddler, but she quickly and fiercely became the glue that binds us.” As a child, she was joyous, expansive, full of optimism and good humour.

In 1981, her passion for the outdoors took her to Sault College to study forestry. There, she fell in love with Jim Laird, her husband of 38 years and, in Vicki’s own words, “the man of my dreams.” As newlyweds, they relocated to the Ottawa area and made their home in Carleton Place. It was Vicki’s greatest joy to become a Mom to sons Ryan and Scott. She loved and nurtured her boys, proudly watching them grow to lead lives as fulfilling as her own. Vicki welcomed “her daughters” Kalyn and Amelia with open arms and was over the moon with joy welcoming grandson Easton, born September 2022.

Vicki had a remarkable ability to connect with people. During her 37-year career at the Carleton Place IDA, she was a mentor to her colleagues and a vital community member. She loved music, dancing, and all things outdoors, passions that she readily shared with an ever-expanding group of close and dear friends. Vicki enjoyed hiking, canoeing at the family cottage, and camping with family and friends. She was in her element playing outdoor sports (baseball, golf, and horseshoes), entertaining at ‘Frosty’s Cafe,’ or hosting annual backyard tournaments that brought her expansive network of loved ones together. She indeed was, and forever will be, the glue keeping us together and infusing us with her maxim of ‘Live, Laugh and Love.’ Her vibrant energy, unconditional love, and beautiful spirit live on in all of us. We are forever grateful for her presence in our lives and miss her deeply.

Vicki is survived by her husband Jim, sons Ryan (Kalyn Nicholson) and Scott (Amelia Douglas), sister Val McFadden (John), brothers Mark (Pat), Gregg (Patty), Matt and Jeff (Jane) and sister in-law Barb Craig (Bruce). Her many nieces and nephews, their spouses, and children will miss her immeasurably. Vicki’s grandson Easton, and any future grandchildren, will be regaled with stories of their Nana and reminded how much she loved him and would them.

At her request, there will be no memorial service or funeral. A celebration of her life will be held at the Almonte Civitan Club, 500 Almonte St., Almonte on Saturday, February 25th from 1:00 – 4:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Vicki’s memory can be made to the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital Foundation or The Ottawa Hospital - Irving Greenberg Family Cancer Center.

“In Life, we loved you dearly; in death, we love you still.”

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Vicki Laird, please visit our floral store.