For Wading River man, it was storm of the century
To call this weekend’s blizzard the storm of the century might be an exaggeration. But for Roy Laine of Wading River, the storm most certainly was.
Mr. Laine’s date of birth is 2/8/13 and the blizzard struck the region on his 100th birthday.
His friends and family celebrated with him at the Wading River firehouse Sunday afternoon. More than 50 people showed up, down from the 100-plus who were expected to attend Saturday, before the celebration was pushed back one day due to the weather.
A World War II veteran, Mr. Laine has lived in Lewin Hills since 1960 and is still an active member of the Wading River Congregational Church. He served as the Wading River postmaster from 1960 to 1973 and also volunteered with the local fire department, family members said.
He was married to his wife Mary for 67 years before her death in 2007. Though they never had children of their own, “Uncle Roy” has four godchildren. He also has 18 nieces and nephews, 32 grand nieces and nephews, 42 great-grand nieces and nephews, and 4 great-great-grand nieces and nephews.
Photos of his large family were displayed throughout the party in a slideshow dubbed as “A Trip Down Memory Laine.”
Read more about Mr. Laine’s life in Thursday’s issue of the Riverhead News-Review.
