HARWICH- Ann Crowley Laing died peacefully in Florida on May 9, 2017 at the age of 84 surrounded by her family. Ann raised four children with her husband Robert E Laing who died in 2004. Their children are: Robert (Bob) of Braintree, James (Jim) of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, Andrew (Andy) of Severna Park, MD and Kathryn (Katie) of Carlsbad, CA.  She was a doting “Nanny” to Jennifer, Robert (Bobby), Benjamin, Lauren, Steven, Remington (Remy), Shawn, Kevin, Rebecca (Becca), William and Ella. She was a loving sister to Thomas Crowley of Milton, and the late Vincent Crowley, Leo Crowley, Jeanne C Gallagher, and Richard Crowley. Her large family included many nephews and nieces who will miss her dearly.  Ann C Laing was born on Sept 26, 1932 in Boston to Henry A. Crowley and Madeleine Golding Crowley. In 1956 she married Robert E Laing, a Boston Firefighter who retired as a Chief. They were happily married for 48 years until Bob’s death. They raised their children where they lived in Braintree for 41 years. They retired to their summer home on Cape Cod and “snow birded” to Florida each winter since 2000.  Ann grew up in Dorchester and graduated from Holy Trinity High School at the age of 16. She graduated with a BA in Teaching from Boston Teachers College in 1953, earned her Master of Arts in Guidance Counseling in 1982 from Boston State College, and received her School Psychologist degree from UMASS Boston in 1991. Mrs. Laing started teaching in Boston, then in Quincy and was part of the Braintree school system from 1975 until she retired in 1999. She taught at Donald Ross School (75-86), a Guidance Counselor at Braintree High School (86-88), and the school psychologist at Highlands School (88-99) where she retired. She had a meaningful career and was passionate about helping children and certainly made a difference in the lives of many students.  Ann was active in the St. Francis of Assisi Braintree chapter of the Catholic Daughters of America for many years including serving as the Regent of the Court. She often volunteered with her children’s activities including PTO, Little League and Braintree Youth Hockey. Ann was blessed with a green thumb and her Cape Cod garden remained a beautiful tribute to her many hours spent tending to her flowers. She loved the beach and reading and spending cherished time with her many friends. Visiting hours will be held at the Mortimer N. Peck-Russell Peck Funeral Home, 516 Washington St. Braintree, on Tuesday May 16th from 4-8 pm. There will be a gathering at the funeral home on Wednesday, May 17th at 9:00am to be followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 856 Washington Street, Braintree at 10:00am. Relatives and friends are invited. Burial will follow at Blue Hill Cemetery, Braintree. Donations in Ann’s memory may be sent to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701.

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