Isobell Langley

It is with great sadness that the family of Isobell Langley (nee Brown) announce her death on September 23, 2021 . She was 94. Isobell was predeceased by her husband, Clayton; brother, William; sister, Margaret; son, Glenn and granddaughter, Janet. She is survived by her daughters, Lynda Laverdure (Al), Helen (Nathan Renner); her sons, William, Michael (Brenda Yaworski), and Francis (Deirdre); seven grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

Isobell was born at Banchory Devenick estate, Aberdeenshire Scotland on October 5th, 1926. She met and married her husband Clayton during World War 2. She and her eldest son, Bill (6 months) immigrated to Nova Scotia on August 31, 1946, just before her 20th birthday. She began her life in Canada as a typical fifties housewife and at 43 went to work at the Halifax Protestant Orphanage, remaining there after it converted to Veith House, a social service institution in North End Halifax. To many of her friends and colleagues she was known only as “Lang”.

She was committed to social justice, racial equality and equity, First Nations rights, and women’s issues. She remained passionate about social inequity to the last days of her life. Isobell lived through a period that saw the greatest technological, social, and political change that has ever occurred, but she was never stuck in a period of time. After her retirement, she kept current with change and progress.

She supported the QE2 Foundation and St. Andrews Church in Dartmouth. She was an avid and eclectic reader and loved discussions and debates that came from her reading and her awareness of current events. This family, and her role as mother and grandmother was paramount to her. Her love and caring for her family remained her focus, her joy.

As much as she remained current, she had an abhorrence of Facebook, claiming life granted us a very few truly close friends and the idea of hundreds of “friends” was ridiculous. Consequently, she cherished her friends and kept them close. Annual summer visits from her cousin Hazel, at home in Bedford, or a week at Hirtle’s Beach were among her fondest memories. Hazel spent 4 months in Nova Scotia with the family each year. She and Isobell spoke every Saturday once she’d returned to Scotland.

Isobells’ legacy is of love. A life filled with love of husband, love of family, love of friends, as one who shared equal parts heart and mind.

A private family tribute will be held in the near future and a formal service will be held at a later date at St. Andrews Church in Dartmouth. Her ashes will be taken to Scotland by her family to be with those of her husband. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of choice.

“She’s awa’ noo”