Bill Laceby remembered in the community

Dr. Bill Laceby

Dr. Bill Laceby spent some 40 years fixing the teeth of people in King City and beyond, and then he set himself up as a real-estate broker.

And through it all, he found time to be a Mason, Shriner, Lion and member of numerous boards and agencies.

Dr. Laceby died Thursday after a long battle with cancer. He was 65.

Dr. Laceby retired from dentistry a couple of years ago to devote himself to Laceby Real Estate.

"It's a family business," he remarked at the time, pointing out his wife Lynda was working there as a sales representative, his son Michael had joined the firm and son Jeff was broker and president.

"We're brokers and partners and mother's the boss," he joked.

Dr. Laceby came to the area right after graduating from five years at the school of dentistry at the University of Toronto.

"I started out on my own," he commented at his retirement, adding there were a number of factors that led him to set up practice in King. He was from the township originally, and his wife was from Nobleton. As well, there was the high school in the area, and when one is starting a dentistry practice, he knows mothers and kids are the first patients one is likely to see.

"It seemed the right thing to do," he commented.

Mayor Margaret Black spoke about Dr. Laceby at the start of Monday's Township council meeting, calling him a "very quiet volunteer."

His volunteer activities included many years with Nobleton Minor Hockey Association and serving on the executive of the King Township Chamber of Commerce. He was a recipient of the Ontario Bi- Centennial Medal, and he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication and commitment to his community from the Township of King last month.

"He was a wonderful person," Black commented, adding he was also her dentist.

He will be really truly missed by many of us and by the community," she said at the council meeting.

Dr. Laceby is survived by his wife Lynda Nattress; children Jeffrey and Lisa Laceby, Kimberly and Scott Gray, Jennifer and Michael Cecconi, and Michael Laceby; his grandchildren Grace, James, Connor and Ethan; his sister Susan Laceby and her fiancé Sam Kotsinas; and his mother-inlaw Jean Nattress.

Services for Dr. Laceby were Monday at All Saints Anglican Church in King City. He was buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bolton.

Donations in Dr. Laceby's memory may be made to Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation - Cancer Centre, 596 Davis Dr., Newmarket L3Y 2P9 or Shriners Hospitals for Children, 3100 Keele St., Toronto M3M 2H4.