Obituary
Laura Lee Packard Latiolais was born in Logan, Utah, March 28th, 1951, and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Trained as a singer, educated in English Literature at San Francisco State University, and schooled by Jane Austen, Laura made San Francisco her home. She spent her post-college years singing professionally while working as a bookkeeper in the city, where both her mother, Carolyn Packard, and life-long friend, bj Swanson, lived. In San Francisco, she met Christopher Latiolais, and they married in Sonoma, CA, in 1985. From 1987-1989, Laura and Chris lived in Frankfurt, Germany, where Laura gave birth to Cecilia Lynette Latiolais on August 11th, 1989. The new family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1991, where Laura worked for the Kalamazoo Bach Festival Society and then for Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan as Director of Development, a career to which she was devoted. After retiring in 2018, Laura continued her work in the community through volunteering and leadership. In January 2023, she was finally correctly diagnosed with ALS and later moved to Los Angeles to be with her daughter until her death on September 4th, 2024.
During her many years at Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, Laura advocated for end- of-life care and dying with dignity, speaking powerfully and eloquently throughout the community. Laura's fundraising made possible the building of Rose Arbor Residential Hospice Facility (the first in the state), the establishment of Oakland Center (an adult day-care facility to assist full-time caregivers), and the Hospice Care endowment to WMU's Homer Stryker School of Medicine (to support and build expertise on the transition from preventative to palliative care).
Throughout her life, Laura worked as a benefactor of the arts. In Kalamazoo, she served on many boards – Bach Festival, the WMU Theater Guild, the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, and Fontana Chamber Arts – and volunteered with WMUK Radio. Laura's expansive and tender vision of life was nurtured by art in its many forms - music, theatre, film, visual arts, literature, and gardens. She sang in the Kalamazoo Civic Senior Class Readers Theater and at home, when mood demanded more than words. She was a member and officer of Rotary and Professional Executives Association of Kalamazoo. Laura's advocacy for elder care did not prevent her from turning towards youth: she mentored Kalamazoo Public School students from the mid-1990s through 2021, and was a Sunday evening reader at the County Juvenile Home. She was a decades-long poll worker and volunteered for the Democratic party.
Laura's kindness, intelligence, and spirit preceded her. Anyone – close family, friends, colleagues, and strangers – were drawn to speak with her, and she would listen with patient generosity, responding with care, honesty, and compassion. She garnered esteem and affection. Her moral compass never wavered, and she moved through life with strength, empathy, and infinite curiosity, embodying elegance and dignity.
Memorial celebration scheduled for spring.
Memorials contributions can be made to Planned Parenthood of Michigan at michiganchoice.org or PO Box 3673, Ann Arbor MI 48106 or to an organization of one's choosing.
Died in Los Angeles, California, September 4th, 2024, of ALS.
Cremated, Valley of Peace, Santa Clarita, California.