W. W. S. Lighthall, a lawyer like his father, William Douw Lighthall, grew up in Westmount, Quebec. He enlisted in the military in 1914, and served as a flier throughout World War I, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war he return to Montreal to graduate from McGill Law School and was a practising attorney there till World War II was declared in 1939; he then volunteered in the Royal Canadian Air Force and worked in administration until 1945 when he represented Canada in the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.
He and his wife, Elizabeth Gladys Rutherford, whom he had married in 1923, moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1952, and set up a successful real estate business. He was named Wing Commander of the Silver Wings of World War I there in 1975.

W.D. Lighthall was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and educated at McGill University (B.A. 1879, B.C.L. 1881, L.L.D. 1921). He practiced law in Montreal (K.C. 1906), and served as Mayor of Westmount, 1900-1902. He was a founder of the Canadian Union of Municipalities and served on the Metropolitan Parks Commission for Greater Montreal and the Historical Monuments Commission. He was founder of the Great War Veterans' Association which was later incorporated into the Royal Canadian Legion. In addition to his public activities, Lighthall actively engaged in historical and literary pursuits. A founder of the Chateau de Ramezay Historical Museum, he was president of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society and played an important part in the erection of the de Maisonneuve Monument on Place d'Armes. He wrote Sights and Sounds of Montreal (1907) and Montreal After 250 Years (1892). He was a founder of the Society of Canadian Literature and published in 1889 one of the first anthologies of Canadian poetry, Songs of the Great Dominion. In 1902, he was elected to the Royal Society of Canada, and in 1917-1918 served as its president. In 19230 he was elected president of the Canadian Authors' Association. Lighthall developed his own philosophy of virtue and universal goodwill which he explained not only in treatises on ethics and politics such as Sketch of the New Utilitarianism (1887), Canada: A Modern Nation (1904), The Person of Evolution (1930), but also in his fiction including The Young Seigneur (1888), The False Chevalier (1998) and The Master of Life (1908).

The Lighthall family came to Canada from New York about 1830. Douw K. Lighthall was registrar of Beauharnois, Quebec. His son William Francis married Margaret Wright, grand-daughter of Major James Wright (McIntyre). Her father's brother-in-law was Peter Rutherford, builder of Fort Lennox. By marriage, the Lighthalls were related to the Nyes who were among the claimants of the Christie estates including the Seigneury of Lacolle. W.F. Lighthall (1827-1920) practiced as a notary in Montreal except for a brief period in Hamilton, Ontario. He had two sons, William Dow (1857-1954), and George Rutherford (1861-1956) who was also a notary and a daughter, Katherine. W.D. Lighthall married Cybel Wilkes, the grand-daughter of the reverend Dr. Henry Wilkes (1805-1886), a Congregationalist minister in Montreal. They had three children: William S., Alice and Cybel. Cybel Wilkes Lighthall was one of the founders of the Canadian Guild of Handicrafts and her daughter, Alice, was to be equally active in this organization. William S. fought with the British forces in Mesopotamia in World War I and was an early member of the Flying Corps. Alice was a V.A.D. in France. George Lighthall married Anne dean, sister of Mrs. Charles Lyman. Their daughter Anne worked as a nurse in France and Belgium, ca. 1930 – ca. 1970. George was a founder of the Canadian branch of the Aerial League of the British Empire. Most members of the family were active Protestants; Anne Lighthall was a Roman Catholic.

Irena (Irene) Liebich attended McGill University during the late 1950s and early 1960s. She graduated with a degree of Masters in Social Work in 1964, then worked at the Montreal Neurological Institute as a social worker assisting epileptic patients and their families. Irene was actively involved advancing the field of social work by attending conferences and presenting papers on the subject of epilepsy. She was a member of the MNI Choir. Irene Liebich is survived by her daughter Flora Liebich.

Flora Liebich graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1972. She majored in Political Science, with interest in international governance and politics. This led to a series of positions within the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Flora Liebich has been involved in human rights and in political issues occurring in South East Asia. She is also a supporter of the arts and in projects assisting underprivileged children.

The Liebich family consists of mother Irena (Irene) Liebich and daughter Flora Liebich.