Obituary of Alan Gregory LeBlanc
Alan Gregory LeBlanc, age 77, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on August 18, 2023, in the Admiral Long Term Care Home. Born in Amherst, he was the son of the late Frank and Phyllis LeBlanc.
Al graduated from Mohawk College in Hamilton, ON. He had a storied career in retail. Having started at the bottom of the ladder as a stock clerk and working his way up to Vice President of Operations, Al was always one to champion for his colleagues and never missed an opportunity to offer a hand up. He left a lasting impression on his colleagues at Towers Department Store, Loblaws, the NSLC, and lastly, The Snore Shop. He was well known for leading laughter-filled meetings.
It must also be mentioned that for ten years, Al and Lorraine owned and operated the Crabtree & Evelyn store at MicMac Mall, with Lorraine managing the store and Al managing the business side. They employed many wonderful people over the years. The store was Al and Lorraine's dream, and was described by regular customers as an oasis in the mall. They prided themselves in offering unique, quality products as well as top notch customer service. Thanksgiving weekend was always the big Christmas set-up weekend. With the mall closed for the holiday, the entire staff (including former staff who didn't want to miss the fun) and Al's family laid out all the Christmas stock outside of the store and spent the day decorating and stocking the store for Christmas. After a pizza lunch and a lot of glitter, the store would be ready for the season. It was always a fun and wonderful day.
When he wasn’t with his family, Alan could be found puttering in the garage with his antiques. A picker at heart, Al loved nothing more than to go through an old building looking for treasures. He especially loved finding the simple items invented out of the need to fix an everyday problem around the farm or in the kitchen.
In his later years, Al loved to head down to The Hut a few times a day and swap stories with his smoking buddies. There was never a shortage of laughter when he was in the room. He and Lorraine shared a love of wines and were always on a quest to find the next bottle for their Friday night Date Night Steaks.
Alan is survived by his wife, Lorraine (Filion); as well as his children, Robin (Melissa), Debbie (Peter), and Lysianne. He is lovingly remembered by his six grandchildren, Maeve, Rocco, Kara, Alex, Liam, and Finn; as well as many nieces and nephews.
The last surviving member of his immediate family, Alan was predeceased by his parents; and his brother, Joseph Calder (Donna).
Al was a wonderful father. No matter how busy he was with work, he was always willing to help deliver early morning newspapers in the pouring rain, he came and cheered at every softball game, and took weekends off for father-son time fishing or watching the Blue Jays. Birdhouses and “Kub Car”s were built in the basement. Many family vacations were spent at cottages all over Ontario and the East Coast, where dear memories were made with Uncle Joe, Aunt Donna, and cousins. As a grandfather, he attended many, many birthday parties, concerts, recitals, all the events a proud grandfather comes to enjoy. Papa was well-loved for his jokes and stories. Al encouraged passion and embodied both teamwork and family; those influences will endure.
He was the best story reader, doing funny voices for all the characters in the books he read to his kids. He loved playing "hairdresser" (with him as the customer), especially the shampoo/head massage part. His "tip" at the end of the hairdo was always "Don't smoke in bed", followed by a laugh and a hug. The "gum wrapper" game was also a favorite, where his kids would ask him for a piece of gum, take the gum out of the wrapper, then fold the wrapper back up and tell him that they no longer wanted it. He always played along, acting annoyed that they had returned the gum after asking for it, then would say "fine, then I will have it". He was always fake-surprised and fake-outraged that the wrapper was empty and that he had been tricked by his giggling kids.
Al’s love of 50's rock and Burton Cummings music rubbed off on his children, who danced to his favorite music with him in the living room on Sunday mornings, while Lorraine made brunch in the kitchen. Most importantly, he taught his children how to be kind, responsible people with good work ethics and family values, all of which are now reflected in his grandchildren. He was sweet and funny, and was a true gentleman. He will be missed beyond measure.
Al loved to tease and make people laugh, especially his kids and his grandkids. Whenever he was “Rumpy Dumpy Doo”-ing around the living room with them on his feet, teasing them with his French speaking skills (Un, deux, trois, quatre, dog), or telling the story of Herman The Worm, he had the biggest smile on his face. He had the same smile every time he was with his grandkids. He was a huge supporter of their dreams and had endless words of encouragement for them when it came to school, their extracurricular activities and sports, and just life in general. As a Dad and a Papa, Al embodied kindness, generosity, and a fun-loving spirit that will live on in the hearts of all of those who love him and who already miss him dearly.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the amazing role model that Al was as a husband. He and Lorraine were what the young folks would call #couplesgoals. His love for her was obvious to anyone who saw them together. Al and Lorraine enjoyed many walks together everywhere they lived. Alan held Lorraine’s hand until the very end. He cherished every single day of their over 50 years of love.
The family would like to offer their heartfelt appreciation for the care and kindness given to Alan by his doctors, Dr. Fleming, Dr. Julian, Dr. Schliewinsky, and Dr. Rockwood, as well as the nurses, CCAs and staff at the Admiral. They would also like to offer a special thank you to the wonderful caregivers at AB Care Healthcare, whose kindness, patience, and compassion helped make the last few months of Alan's life more comfortable.
Cremation has taken place and a private family celebration of life will be held at a later date. Donations in Al’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society or to your local women’s shelter as these were causes near to his heart. Arrangements have been entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home, 34 Coldbrook Village Park Dr., Coldbrook, NS, B4R 1B9 (902-679-2822).
