Henderson, Kentucky, Obituaries from The Gleaner for September 27, 2007

Back to Stith Valley page.

Laura F. Law

CASPER, Wyo. -- Laura F. Law, 58, Casper, formerly of Henderson and Louisville, died Sept. 22, 2007, at Casper Medical Center.

She was an administrative assistant at Natrona County High School for many years and attended the First United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mary Scott and Gerard Moore Foote.

Survivors include her husband, David; a daughter, Sarah Elizabeth of Denver; a son, William Michael of Ithaca, N.Y.; a sister, Sue Alexander of Henderson; three brothers, Edwin Foote of Louisville, Phillip Foote of Crestwood, Ky., and Jim Foote of Irvington, Ky.; nieces and nephews.

Services will be at 4 p.m. today at First United Methodist Church in Casper.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the Laura Law Memorial Fund, http://www.lauralawmemorialfund.org.

Star Tribune, Casper, Wyoming - Thursday, September 27, 2007

Laura F. Law

casperstartribune.net/news/obituaries
CASPER -- Services for Laura F. Law, 58, will be held at the First United Methodist Church on Thursday, September 27, 2007, at 4 p.m. A reception will be held by the family at the NCHS Library following the service. 

She died Sept. 22, 2007, at Casper Medical Center. 

She was born on Sept.12, 1949, in Louisville, KY.  She was an administrative assistant at Natrona County High School for many years. She loved the students and staff at NC and will be remembered for her many acts of kindness. She always saw the best in everyone and reached out to people who needed to be touched the most.

Originally from Kentucky, she lived in Casper for 31 years. She and her husband, David, were married in Henderson, KY, in 1976. Over the years, she was active with school and civic functions including the Casper Geo Wives, the area gourmet club, the Casper Federal Credit Union and the First United Methodist Church. She was a frequent volunteer for activities at local and state high school events, ranging from chaperoning prom to selling tickets at basketball games.  

In her spare time, she enjoyed entertaining friends and family; a particular highlight was her annual Kentucky Derby party. Her delicious cooking was enhanced by the bounty from her and her husband's garden. When not making peach pie or brownies, she could often be found taking care of flowers at school or home.

Survivors include her husband; two children, Sarah Elizabeth of Denver, and William Michael of Ithaca, N.Y.; three brothers, Edwin Foote of Louisville, Ky., Phillip Foote of Crestwood, Ky., and Jim Foote of Irvington, Ky.; one sister, Sue Alexander of Henderson, Ky.; also numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends across the country.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Mary Scott and Gerard Moore Foote.

The family requests no flowers but will welcome donations to the Laura Law Memorial Fund, a nonprofit fund 501.3(c) that is being established. This fund will be used to help students in the ways that she did such as buying prom tickets, yearbooks, and helping with transportation needs of high school students. More information can be found online at http://www.lauralawmemorialfund.org.

Casper loses a friend and mother

By CHRISTINE ROBINSON
Star-Tribune staff writer Wednesday, September 26, 2007

She was the voice, and the heart, of Natrona County High School.

Laura Law, a Kentucky woman with bright blue eyes and a constant smile, spent the past 16 years working in the front office at NCHS, answering calls in her southern accent and extending her warmth, humor and culinary skills to everyone -- teacher, student and staff member -- who came through the doors.

"She was the first person anyone saw when they came in," said Mary Beth Peden, a history teacher and close friend. "She de-elevated every situation. Some people would come in mad, and her voice was always so calm and quiet."

Law, 58, died on Saturday after battling leukemia for several months.

Her son, William, said she once gave a Natrona County sweatshirt to a girl who didn't have much, and the girl wore it nearly every day.

Her daughter, Sarah, said her parents gave two older cars to students who might not have otherwise had a way to get to school.

Those who had just brief encounters with her knew her as a kind woman who was never short or rude. Those who knew her better were able to glimpse inside her and see the angel -- and the mischievous side.

Administrator Chris Bolender and Office Manager Libby Crown said one student had a problem streaking in the halls and was in the office on a repeat offense. The young man knew he was in trouble, and before he went in to talk to the principal, Law looked at him and whispered, "You're kinda my hero."

Bolender said Law knew who needed a hug and when, and if the person was taller than Law, who stood 5 feet 2 inches, she would come out from behind her desk, walk over to a bench and stand on it to give a proper hug, coining the term "bench hugs."

"She was the heart and soul of the school," Bolender said.

And she also liked to bake.

"You know," Peden said, "she had to be here at 7 o'clock every morning and she would bring in warm muffins she baked that morning. She would get up at 4 o'clock to make things for the office that day."

Activities Secretary Karen Kennedy trained Law when she came to NCHS. Kennedy said Law saw the good in every student, even the troublemakers.

"I would say, 'But that kid is so naughty.' And Laura would say, 'Karen, we have to love them all.' Or, 'Karen, they have good hearts,'" Kennedy said.

Many described her as their second mother, which is just fine with her own children.

Sarah, who lives in Denver, remembers the special dinners her mom would prepare for groups of students on prom night.

"She wasn't just my mom," she said.

William said it's not unusual that when he returns home to Casper from New York, "People I don't even know will come up and say, 'I just loved your mom.' That's really really cool."

Law was married for nearly 31 years to David Law, a North Dakotan and geologist who met her while working in Kentucky. Each rented an apartment from a different "little old lady," their son said. The ladies were friends and conspired to arrange a date for their young tenants.

David asked Laura to marry him when he learned he would be transferred to Colorado, and told her he would be gone awhile to make arrangements and would come back. When he returned, there was a change of plans -- they were now headed for a life in Casper, Wyoming, their son said.

"It's just amazing to me, and I think speaks to how great people in Casper are, how well they have done here and the roots they have developed," he said.

Laura Law wasn't a teacher, but she taught an important lesson, said Sarah Law's friend and fellow NCHS alumna Monica Leotta.

"Her biggest worry was that if she couldn't be there that her kids, both her children and her students, that they would watch out for each other in her absence and so she, by example, showed us that was the most important thing no matter what.

"No one will ever be able to take care of us like she did."

Reach Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@casperstartribune.net.

A memorial service for Laura Law is set for 4 p.m. Thursday at First United Methodist Church. A complete obituary will appear later this week in the Star-Tribune.