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In Memory

Laura Downs

Laura Downs

Although we have been unable to confirm these details, information was received that Laura died in 2007, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Laura had three children - two boys and one girl.

 
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04/23/11 10:36 PM #1    

Bobbie Elston (Montana)

I met Laura and her sister Holly when they began attending Heights Elementary School.  Laura played violin and Holly played cello, so we were friends right away.  They lived down the street and around the corner from me, so we hung out a lot.  They were both extremely smart and incredibly talented musicians.  I know Laura had some struggles later on in life and I'm saddened to learn of her too soon death.


06/01/11 06:10 PM #2    

Jeffrey Latawiec

I was saddened to hear of the death of Laura. She and I shared a life for a brief few years after high school. She was one of the most intelligent women I have ever known, and it is a shame that her inner demons dogged much of her life. We had one child together, a wonderful son Britt, and her intelligence and sharp wit were passed on to him. I truly hope she is happy and has now found the peace which so eluded her during her life. Mine was the better for knowing her.


06/13/11 08:39 AM #3    

Amy McClellan

Laura and I were best friends in junior high and the beginning of high school. She and I both played violin in the orchestra and walked to school every day, lugging our books and violin cases (later, I measured the distance to Alamo High to illustrate to my children that yes, you can actually walk 2 miles to school and it won't kill you). She lived down the street from me. We had wonderful conversations. She was so intelligent and creative. We played many duets together on our violins and also went to summer music camp together at UM-Portales, where we had a ball.

Her family literally broke apart in front of our eyes one week. There were serious problems within the family. It seemed that Laura, her sister and little brother had to bear the brunt of terrible emotional upheaval. It was very sad. After that happened, Laura started having her own problems, not surprisingly. I still remained friends with her but we were no longer close. I always admired her sharp mind and intellect.

The last time I saw Laura was when we were both working at A & W Rootbeer during the first summer after I started attending college. She worked as a  cook and I was a carhop. She had a little boy then (who must have been Britt, Jeff!) and carried him to and from daycare in a baby seat that she had built herself that attached to her bicycle. For me, this was a part-time job but for Laura, it was her regular source of income. I once visited her little apartment where she lived with her adorable baby son. It was so hard to see her being so young and struggling as a single mother.

I have thought of Laura continuously through the years, especially as I learned more about mental illness, which I believe was broke her family apart. I loved her as a friend and wished I could have known how to stay connected with her through the years. She was the sort of person you just don't forget.  I was crushed to see her name on the memorial list.


12/24/11 01:40 AM #4    

Jeffrey Latawiec

Beautiful comment Amy. Laura was indeed a special lady, and she was a flame in my life. I do believe mental illness plagued her family, and yet her struggle against that dysfunctionality was truly brave and inspiring. I hope where ever she is now I hope she is surrounded w/ Jethro Tull music and Bela Bartok.  She indeed left her mark on those that had the fortune to know her.


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