Emmet Francis Leger

October 24, 2005 - November 17, 2025

We are so very sad to share the news that Emmet Léger has died at the age of 20. Emmet was born in Halifax on October 24, 2005. From an early age it was clear Emmet would be marching to the beat of his own drum. Even when he was a baby we could see his spirit was bright, curious, passionate and determined to do everything that his big brother Oscar could do. Emmet had a vivid imagination and spent many hours creating and playing as a small child, and later on creating beautiful tiny sculptures out of clay. As a preschooler he was often seen around town in a pirate hat, a superman suit, or even an Elmo costume. As a child he loved to dance, would wrestle with his brothers Oscar and Rory or anyone else who was willing, would make up his own rules to board games, and would always be the first to spot Waldo in the Where’s Waldo books. Our family will treasure so many memories of Emmet on camping trips, forest walks, road trips to visit family, and many many hours sitting together and reading aloud, or listening to Dad’s special made up bedtime stories about Captain Pete and Captain Buckle on the pirate ships Shiver me Timbers, Jolly Roger, and Silva.

Emmet was in his element swimming in the ocean and looking for crabs, skating on the oval, and playing the sport of Jugger. In Jugger he found a welcoming community and had some of his most joyful moments in recent years. He loved being with trusted friends and if you can say you know Emmet, please know you are a special person because he was very selective in who made him feel safe. In recent years he had deep connections with his friend groups and we know he loved and looked forward to playing Dungeons and Dragons every week. We hope those campaigns will carry on in his memory, although we know they will never be the same.

Emmet didn’t always love school, and the school system was not really designed for a mind like his, but he was fortunate to meet some educators who saw the great gifts in him that many overlooked (special thanks to Ms. O’Conner and Ms. Robertson at SJAM and Ms. MacEachen at Citadel High). We were so proud of Emmet and how hard he worked. In grade 2 he was diagnosed with dyslexia. We saw how much effort he put into learning to read. Nothing made us happier than seeing him sit down with a book, and he also spent many hours listening to his audiobooks.

Being in high school during Covid was not easy for anyone, and for a sensitive soul like Emmet, the forced isolation took away a lot of the joy he had experienced in earlier years. While Emmet’s imagination was so powerful, it failed him in the one area where he needed it the most, in imagining a future for himself. As a family we worked hard to try to keep Emmet in the world long enough to get past this dark time, and he also tried very hard to stay alive for our sake, but his painful feelings seem to have overwhelmed him just when we thought he was starting to look forward to the future a little bit. He knew we loved him very much, and his pain must have been very great indeed.

Emmet leaves behind his parents, Andrew and Kristine Leger, his two brothers, Oscar and Rory, his grandparents Alice O’Brien and Rose and Roger Leger, many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, and family friends who loved him dearly. We know he didn’t understand the huge hole he is leaving behind in our world or he would never have left us.

A visitation will be held at Cruikshank's Halifax Funeral Home, located at 2666 Windsor Street, Halifax, NS, B3K5C9, on November 21, 2025, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

The funeral service will take place at the same venue on November 22, 2025, at 12:00 pm, followed by a reception

The committal service will be at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, 3720 Windsor St, Halifax, NS, B3K 5G7, on November 22, 2025.

In lieu of flowers we would suggest that those who wish to make a donation could consider a donation in Emmet’s name to his favourite sport, the Halifax Plays Jugger League or the Scottish Rite Learning Centre where children with dyslexia receive free essential tutoring. An even more meaningful way to honour Emmet’s memory for free would be to take a few minutes to reach out and check in with someone in your life who has gone quiet or sad.