Laura Earl

Laura Juanita Lawrence Earl, 88, died at 10:17 a.m. Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at Abilene Regional Medical Center.

Neat as her family called her, earned her shortened name, at an early age because she never got dirty. Born April 20, 1924 in Coyville, KS, she was a graduate of Toronto High School, Toronto, KS.

She was a lifelong homemaker, except for a few years when she was a school teacher. She taught schools in the Flower Hill, Triumph and Big Sandy School Districts all near Toronto, KS. She also taught third grade in Burlingame, KS and a rural school in Riley County, KS. She was married to John Earl on December 26, 1945 in Wichita, KS. He was a geophysicist and was employed by El Paso Exploration Co. They traveled with his work and lived at various times, in New Zealand, Australia, Canada as well as El Paso and Salt Lake City. They retired to Abilene in November, 1982. John passed away on December 16, 1982.

Her fashion style was all her own. Bright and bold, she wore clothes with a sense of style. She was a humble, quiet person who always dressed loudly. Her signature look included a bright red. She frequently wore a red outfit to compliment her red lipstick and red fingernails. Some folks she encountered sometimes did not appreciate her wit and dry sarcasm. She often had a summary statement that one might mistake as rude until you saw her smile.

She had a lifelong search for the perfect recipe. Her collection includes hundreds of hand written recipes along with dozens of cookbooks. She loved to surprise people with a new recipe with an odd name or ingredient. In her memory, some of her recipes will be handed out at her funeral service which will be Saturday March 16th at 11 am in the Elmwood Funeral Home Chapel, 5750 Hwy 277 South, Abilene, Texas 79606. Visitation is from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday at Elmwood.

Always a teacher, she enjoyed her years as a Sunday school teacher and also giving lessons for many church and civic organizations.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Abilene Public Library Memorial Fund, PO Box 1001, Abilene, TX 79604. http:www.abilenetx.comaplgiving.html

She was preceded in death by her parents, William Lawrence and Hattie Pratt Lawrence, her brothers, Richard, Keith, Glenn and Earl Lawrence and her sisters, Faye Hibbard, Dorothy Taylor, and Emma Bennett.

She is survived by a number of friends, nieces, and nephews. She was a dear friend and cherished her friends dearly.

Visitation

Elmwood Funeral Home
5750 HWY 277 South
Abilene, TX  79606
Friday, March 15, 2013
6:00 to 8:00 PM

Service

Chapel Service

Elmwood Funeral Home Chapel
5750 HWY 277 South
Abilene, TX  79606
Saturday, March 16, 2013
11:00 AM

Cemetery

Elmwood Memorial Park
5750 HWY 277 South
Abilene, TX  79606