Memorable Manitobans: William James “Jim” Lailey (1879-1951)

Building contractor.

Born at Buckleberry, Berkshire, England on 29 December 1879, he came to Canada in 1903 and worked in Winnipeg as a building contractor. On 17 November 1909, he married Mary Agnes “Aggie” Turner (1887-1969) at Winnipeg. They had six children: Joseph William Lailey (1911-1968), George Edward Lailey (1913-1995), Raymond Leslie Lailey (1915-1921), Margaret Jean Lailey (1918-1998, wife of Kasmir Kenneth Stabeski), Mary Doreen Agnes Lailey (1922-2009, wife of Carl Goodman), and Mae Edith Lailey (1925-2012, wife of Thomas Lloyd Moist). The family lived at 568 Maryland Street, Winnipeg and were members of St. Edward's Roman Catholic Church. He died at Gilbert Plains on 22 June 1951, while constructing the Gilbert Plains Hotel, and was buried in the St. Norbert Roman Catholic Cemetery.

Some of his construction work in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church (foundation and basement)	255 Stafford Street, Winnipeg	1911
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 10	384 Academy Road, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 11	525 Academy Road, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (?)
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 18	371 Broadway, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (1970s)
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 6	619 Broadway, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (1940)
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 7	615 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 13	926 Grosvenor Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 8	219 Kelvin Street, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (?)
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 1	243 Lilac Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 3	1413 Main Street, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 4	110 Marion Street, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (?)
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 20	137 Osborne Street, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 9	700 Osborne Street, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 21	607 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (?)
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 5	875 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 2	1040 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 15	1315 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (?)
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 16	1821 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 22	467 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 12	611 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 17	61 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg	1929
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 19	393 St. Mary's Road, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (?)
Piggly Wiggly Store No. 14	775 Westminster Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Beacon Theatre (renovation)	557 Main Street, Winnipeg	1930	Demolished (1966)
Broadway Court (repairs)	251 Broadway, Winnipeg	1930	Demolished (1982)
House	429 Campbell Street, Winnipeg	1930
House (repairs)	705 William Avenue, Winnipeg	1931	Demolished (?)
Monarch Theatre (demolition)	351 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1931	Demolished (1931)
Broadway Court (repairs)	251 Broadway, Winnipeg	1932	Demolished (1982)
Piggly Wiggly Creamery Building	297 Owena Street, Winnipeg	1932	Demolished (?)
Fox Theatre	606 Main Street, Winnipeg	1934	Demolished (?)
Gilbert Plains Hotel	109 Main Street North, Gilbert Plains, Municipality of Gilbert Plains	1951

Sources:

Marriage registration [William James Lailey, Mary Agnes Turner], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Birth registrations [Joseph William Lailey, George Edward Lailey, Raymond Leslie Lailey, Margaret Jean Lailey, Mary Doreen Agnes Lailey], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Death registration [Raymond Leslie Lailey], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Piggly wiggly company opens store no. 20,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 October 1929, page 29.

“Permits show steady growth present week,” Manitoba Free Press, 14 June 1930, page 34.

“Permits for new dwellings week’s feature,” Manitoba Free Press, 11 October 1930, page 20.

“Beacon Theatre,” Manitoba Free Press, 8 November 1930, page 23.

“Thirteen permits for new houses issued this week,” Manitoba Free Press, 4 July 1931, page 21.

“Old Monarch Movie theatre “passes on”, makes way for store,” Manitoba Free Press, 31 October 1931, page 34.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

“Ten dwellings in week’s permits total to date 73,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 July 1932, page 11.

“The new piggly wiggly creamery is very fine plant,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 July 1932, page 5.

Marriage registration [Jean Margaret Lailey, Kasmir Kenneth Stabeski], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Death registration [William James Lailey], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Fox Theatre,” Winnipeg Tribune, 24 November 1934, page 26.

“Five more contracts for public works in west to be reviewed,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 November 1935, page 15.

Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 23 June 1951, page 34.

Obituary, Dauphin Herald and Press, 28 June 1951, page 3.

Obituary [Mary Agnes Lailey], Winnipeg Free Press, 3 February 1969, page 29.

Obituary [Doreen Goodman], Winnipeg Free Press, 18 April 2009.

Obituary [Mae Edith Moist], Winnipeg Free Press, 11 June 2012.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

We thank Brian Moist for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Jordan Makichuk.

Page revised: 23 March 2023

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